BX 

8495"! 
[X45l(5 



if 




i\N\jy 






* V. 



y-f 


w w 


.:" V 




-v 













ill /*$ 


ivr*'^ 



w 



;V V 









- " ^ 



**' 


.;,i !: 






1 




-gSj j : * 




- 




m¥ - 




*"-ki 


2JW 


f V 





? LIBRARTOFpMGRESS. J 

!*$*** Ik* i ! 

J UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. | 



RECOLLECTION^ #a,M •»! 




WILLIAM THEOPHILUS, 



Jl filgrim of $MWtit3i& 



Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. 

John vi, 12. 



EDITED BY D. P KIDDER 
PUBLISHED BY LANE & SCOTT, 

FOR THE SUNDAY-SCHOOL UNION OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL 
* CHURCH, 200 MULBERRY-STREET. 

JOSEPH L N G K I N G, PRINTER 



lor como»ms I 






Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, by 
LANE & SCOTT, 

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Southern 
District of New-York. 



\X3 \.^t i i 






v. 






PREFACE, 



I have read the account th&,t Edward 
Seymour gives of himself. Being ac- 
quainted with him I believe the book is 
true, and likely to do much good ; especially 
if the reader looks to God for his blessing as 
he reads it. When I read the Farmer 
Boy, such a good feeling came into my 
heart, that I wanted to tell about a Chris- 
tian friend of mine, whose name I will call 
William Theophilus ; and if my young 
friends will be pleased with an account of 
him, I trust that it will be a blessing to 
their souls and a pleasant entertainment to 
their minds. Please then go with me to the 
many places of his travels, and see what 
trials he had to pass through, and how the 
kind providence of God preserved him ; and 



6 PREFACE. 

how the grace of God converted him, and 
made him a minister of the gospel, blessed 
his labors, and preserved him to a good old 
age, and set before him the crown of glory. 
He is now waiting for God to call him, and 
place a heavenly crown upon his head : yea, 
perhaps that crown will be really on his 
head, while you are reading of all the great 
things which God has done for him. If 
you should at last get safely to heaven, you 
will doubtless know him, and see him wear- 
ing that glorious crown, and join with him 
in praising HIM who " bought us with his 
blood and made us kings and priests to our 
God and the Lamb forever and ever." 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

NAME, TIME, AND PLACE OF BIRTH CHARACTER OF HIS 

PARENTS EARLY THOUGHTS ON A FUTURE STATE — 

DANGEROUS ILLNESS AND RECOVERY — THE LACK OF RE- 
LIGIOUS KNOWLEDGE IN THAT DAY HIS CHOICE OF A 

PROFESSION — LEFT AN ORPHAN ADOPTED BY AN UNCLE 

UNCLE DIES DISAPPOINTED IN EDUCATION....PAGE 11 



CHAPTER II. 

HIS EDUCATION — PERILS OF LIFE BY FIRE, BY WATER, AND 

BY A HORSE HOUSE BURNT PIOUS COUNSEL OF AN 

UNCLE 21 



CHAPTER III. 

HIS VENERATION FOR MINISTERS AND RELIGION HIS FIRST 

AWAKENING AND EFFORT TO BE BETTER GOES TO BAL- 
TIMORE JOHN GOODMAN JAMES BETTERMAN AWAK- 
ENING ENDANGERED BY CHARLES ESCAPES THE SNARE 

— PIOUS JOHN'S COUNSEL — FIRST CLASS-MEETING, SE- 
COND AND THIRD— THEIR RESULTS TO HIS SOUL. 29 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER IV. 

THE DAY OF HIS NEW BIRTH SOLITUDE IN TALKATIVE 

COMPANY HIS THOUGHTS — HE BELIEVES — THE WIT- 
NESS — HIS JOY — CHANGE OF HEART AND LIFE THE 

REASONING BY WHICH HE BECAME A METHODIST HIS 

PEACE — GROWTH IN GRACE HE RETURNS TO CONNEC- 
TICUT AND MEETS UNEXPECTED CONFLICTS — GOD SUS- 
TAINS HIM PAGE 39 



CHAPTER V. 

ORGANIZATION OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH — 
FIRST EFFORTS OF METHODIST ITINERANTS IN CONNEC- 
TICUT SLANDERS REFORM OF A PROFANE YOUTH A 

STRANGER IN A COURT — HEARS A CHARGE AGAINST HIM 

AND FINDS HIM OUT HEARS A METHODIST SERMON 

QUARTERLY MEETING AT LEE'S CHAPEL GOES TO NEW- 
YORK — JOINS CLASS 49 

CHAPTER VI. 

CONFLICTS OF MIND — HAS THE YELLOW FEVER — AN AC- 
COUNT OF HIS CONFLICTS ABOUT PREACHING THE 

GOSPEL REFERS THE MATTER TO GOD BY PRAYER 

CONVINCED OF DUTY, AND AWAITS THE INDICATIONS 
OF GRACE AND PROVIDENCE — DISCOURAGED BY DELAY, 
BUT HIS FAITH AND COURAGE RENEWED — MAKES HIS 

BEGINNING GOD SUSTAINS HIM TWO YEARS LOCAL 

ADMITTED TO TRAVEL IN THE NEW- YORK CONFERENCE 
IN THE YEAR 1797 58 



CONTENTS. 9 

CHAPTER VII. 

RECEIVED AT THE CONFERENCE OF 1797 — SENT TO LITCH- 
FIELD CIRCUIT HIS FIRST SEPARATION FROM HOME 

DESCRIPTION OF HIS CIRCUIT PREACHING ALMOST EVERY 

DAY — PITTSFIELD CIRCUIT REDDING CIRCUIT HIS FIRST 

ATTENDANCE AT CONFERENCE THE SCRUTINY OF CHAR- 
ACTER ADMITTED AND ORDAINED DEACON STATIONED 

ON POMFRET CIRCUIT — BIBLE BEADING BEVIVALS 

CONGREGATIONAL MINISTER — INDIAN SQUAW INDIANS 

ELEVENTH HOUR PAGE 70 

CHAPTER VIII. 

CONFERENCE AT NEW-YORK DUTCHESS CIRCUIT — DESCRIP- 
TION OF A COLONEL PEARCE REV. F. G , AN EDEN 

ATTACKS UNIVERSALISM IN DOVER RESULT LITCH- 
FIELD ORDINATION AT CONNECTICUT IN 1801 THE 

FIELD OF 1802 — GREAT REVIVAL ON CROTON PART — 

COLONEL GREEN SIMILAR CASES J. CONKLIN REV. S. 

TAGGART ASHGROVE CONFERENCE IN 1803 — STATION- 
ED AT NEW-ROCHELLE WITH A. HUNT RETURN WITH 

BISHOP A . INTERVIEW WITH DR. COKE 86 



CHAPTER IX. 

CONFERENCE OF 1804 CONVERSATION ABOUT HOLINESS — 

HE IS APPOINTED PRESIDING ELDER OF NEW-YORK DIS- 
TRICT CONFERENCE OF 1805 AT ASHGROVE — PRESIDING 

ELDER GOV. CORTLANDT AND HIS GROVE FOR CAMP- 
MEETING 1. SMEAD CONFERENCE OF 1806, NEW-YORK 

— PRESIDING ELDER — FAMILY AFFLICTION DEATH OF 

- WIFE — CONFERENCE OF 1807, COEYMANS — STATIONED 

IN MIDDLETOWN CONFERENCE OF 1808, AMENIA — 

GENERAL CONFERENCE, BALTIMORE — DELEGATION INSTI- 
TUTED, 1808 101 



10 CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER X. 

CONFERENCE OF 1809 — STATIONED IN NEW- YORK — TWO NEW 

CHURCHES ZION STILL PROSPERS — CONFERENCE OF 1810 

— STATIONED IN BROOKLYN A NEW CHURCH — CONFER- 
ENCE OF 1811 — AGAIN IN BROOKLYN — GENERAL CON- 
FERENCE OF 1812, NEW-YORK — NEW-YORK CONFERENCE, 
JUNE 4, 1812 — JAMAICA CIRCUIT — WAR TROUBLES — NO 
REVIVAL — CONFERENCE OF 1813 NEW-ROCHELLE — CON- 
FERENCE OF 1814 — NEW-ROCHELLE CONFERENCE OF 1815 

NEW-YORK — CONFERENCE OF 1816 — REBUILDING OF 

JOHN-STREET 1817, CONFERENCE AT MIDDLEBURY — SU- 
PERNUMERARY 1818, CONFERENCE IN NEW-YORK SCHE- 
NECTADY NEW-HAVEN TRANSFERRED TO PHILADEL- 
PHIA CONFERENCE RETURN TO NEW-YORK CONFER- 
ENCE PAGE 114 

CHAPTER XL 

POUGHKEEPSIE STATION — NEW-HAVEN STATION — NEWBURG 

CIRCUIT HUDSON STATION — CHOLERA — FLUSHING — 

WILLIAMSBURG — NORWALK — WOODBURY REVIVAL — 

MILAN CIRCUIT — DUTCHESS CIRCUIT — SUPERANNUATED 

HIS DOMESTIC JOYS ENDED IN DEATH OF HIS 

WIFE < 128 

CHAPTER XII. 

PROGRESS IN LEARNING SMALL BEGINNINGS PATIENT 

EFFORTS — ENCOURAGING RESULTS 1 35 

CHAPTER XIII. 

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS — EARLY IMPRESSIONS — FINAL 
HOPES 14$ 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 



CHAPTER I. 

NAME, TIME, AND PLACE OP BIRTH CHARACTER OF HI3 

PARENTS EARLY THOUGHTS ON A FUTURE STATE 

DANGEROUS ILLNESS AND RECOVERY THE LACK OF RE- 
LIGIOUS KNOWLEDGE IN THAT DAY — HIS CHOICE OF A 

PROFESSION — LEFT AN ORPHAN ADOPTED BY AN UNCLE 

— HIS UNCLE DIES — DISAPPOINTED IN EDUCATION. 

William Theophilus was born in the town 
of Norwalk, in the State of Connecticut, on 
the third day of April, 1769. His parents 
were not professors of religion, yet they 
feared God and were moral in their lives. 
His mother early taught him the fear of 
the Lord ; she taught him to say the Lord's 
prayer, and that good little poetic prayer 
of Dr. Watts :— 

" Now I lay me down to sleep, 
I pray the Lord my soul to keep ; 
If I should die before I wake, 
I pray the Lord my soul to take/' 



12 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

He was so young when lie was taught 
about God, Jesus Christ, a judgment-day, 
heaven and hell, and his own relation to 
these awful realities, and the necessity of 
being prepared for eternity, that he could 
not reniember when his dear mother first 
began to tell him about them. He could 
remember as far back as when he was five 
years old : and from about that time, he 
could begin his " Becollections." 

One day, when returning from a visit 
abroad, when his duty was to go direct- 
ly home, as he was crossing a small brook, 
he chose to wade through it, instead 
of going over the bridge. He was so 
pleased with the feeling that the water 
gave to his warm, sweaty legs and feet, that 
he tarried there about an hour, wading and 
diverting himself in the water, thinking 
that as his mother did not know what he 
was doing, he would not be blamed for 
it. He did not consider that God saw 
him, and might chasten him severely for 
doing what he knew would be displeasing 
to his parents. When he got home, he be- 
gan to feel very ill. He carefully concealed 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 15 

the fact of his having been playing in the 
water, which had caused his illness ; but a 
long tit of dangerous sickness came upon 
him from that day. The disease was the 
scarlet fever, by which he was brought to 
death's door. He had his reason, he saw 
his danger, he trembled at the thought of 
being called to meet God, for he felt unpre- 
pared to die. " His sin had found him out." 
He felt that his heart was bad. When God 
had thus shown him, as a sinner, that " it 
is a fearful thing to fall into the hands 
of the living God," his kind mercy gave 
him back his life, and restored his health. 
This was the first time that the Lord brought 
him out of great danger of death, but not 
the last, as this book will show. O how 
glad was he to come down from the sick- 
chamber and again move around in the 
family circle ! He appeared so thin at this 
time that his mother often said, " He is as 
poor as a snake." 

By this affliction he early learned that 
" the way of transgressors is hard." 

The blessings of Sabbath schools were 
unknown in those days. Verily, it would 



16 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

have been thought a wicked affair in any- 
one to keep school on Sunday! Such was 
the ignorance of even professors of religion 
on the subject of the work of grace in the 
heart, that if any one had been heard to 
say that he knew, by happy experience, that 
God for Christ's sake had forgiven all his 
sins, he would have been called a blas- 
phemer ! Nor was it thought sinful, even 
in a minister, to spend a pleasant hour or 
two among dancers in a ball-room ! 

William, then, had never heard of a re- 
vival of religion, nor of a sinner having 
been converted to God. Ministers then 
wrote and read their sermons ; such read- 
ing they called " preaching by note," but 
real preaching was as rare a thing as real 
conversion. 

At that time there were only two de- 
nominations in the town. They called 
themselves " Churchmen " and " Presbyte- 
rians." They have since denominated them- 
selves " Protestant Episcopalians" and " Con- 
gregationalists." They were both thought 
to lead the way to heaven, and it wag deemed 
equally safe to belong to either. Each de- 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 17 

nomination had its "beaten track of religious 
services, which was, to assemble and have 
divine service twice on the Sabbath, and 
non£ during the week. Sunday evenings 
were generally spent in visiting. Had any 
one proposed a prayer-meeting on Sabbath 
evening, the meaning of the term would 
have been scarcely understood. 

Under such disadvantages, William grew 
up entirely ignorant of the way of salva- 
tion ; yet, the eye of our God was con- 
tinually upon him for good, and the Spirit 
of God did not forsake him. The thoughts 
of God, of a day of judgment, and the 
weighty concerns of eternity, frequently 
troubled his mind, and he felt no inclina- 
tion to get rid of such serious subjects ; be- 
cause he was fully convinced that they were 
awful realities. 

When he was between seven and eight 
years of age, he was asked what calling 
he intended to follow in life? As he had 
never seriously thought on this subject, he 
felt unprepared to give an answer ; of course, 
he could not at first make a satisfactory re- 
ply : he then called up the question seri- 
2 



18 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

ously to his mind, and said in his heart, 
" In what employment can I be most ac- 
ceptable to God, and be most likely to gain 
eternal life ?" At once the holy minister's 
life was presented to his mind ; he seriously 
thought it over- — a holy man, spending his 
life in teaching people the way to heaven, 
and going there himself, must be most 
pleasing to God and of course most sure of 
heaven. His decision was therefore at once 
made, and he openly declared that his in- 
tention was to be a " minister or the gos- 
pel." Thenceforward, the holy office of the 
ministry had in his view charms in it that 
no other employment on earth could equal, 
while immortal glory appeared in prospect 
when life should end. From these views 
his mind never swerved in all the sequel of 
life ; and no man did he ever hold in such 
high veneration as the minister of the 
gospel of Christ. 

In the year 1776, when our National In- 
dependence had just spread gladness through 
all the land, a cup of sorrow was, by divine 
wisdom, mingled for poor William. His be- 
loved father, then in the prime of life, aged 



WILLIAM THE0PH1LUS. 19 

thirty-eight years, seeming in good health, 
was surprised by the appearance of purple 
spots upon the surface of his flesh. In a 
few days his knees failed him, and he could 
walk no more ; he was taken from home, a 
few miles, to the house of the doctor, who 
was his brother-in-law. There he lay, and 
in a few short weeks he died! Little did 
William think, when he saw his dear father 
enter the carriage t<^ go and regain his 
health, that death was at his father's door, 
and that he should never see him more, ex- 
cept in his coffin ! the affliction of a 
widowed mother and three orphan sons ! 
Yet so merciful was God to William, that 
a kind and affectionate mother was left 
to press him to her heart. Here was 
his true consolation ; but, ah ! that dear 
mother, his best comfort, heart-broken by 
grief, must soon cease to press to her kind 
bosom her darling boy ! W T illiam was made 
to drink deep of a more bitter cup ! That 
dreadful complaint, the dropsy, soon laid 
his mother on a death-bed, and on the 3d 
of March, 1777, he saw his dear mother 
breathe her last. So early in life did an 



20 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

all-wise God teach William obedience by 
the things that he suffered. On the death 
of his mother, his kind uncle adopted him, 
and intended to educate him at Yale Col- 
lege, that he might become a minister of 
the gospel. His uncle was a mariner, and 
in about four years afterward, while his 
ship was in Holland, he sickened with a 
fever and died. Thus was William, while 
very young, three tiqpes called to learn that 
whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 21 



CHAPTER II. 

HIS EDUCATION — PERILS OF LIFE BY FIRE, BY WATER, AND 
BY A HORSE — HOUSE BURNT — PIOUS COUNSEL OF AN 
UNCLE. 

Mysterious providences now attended the 
orphan. Jesus had another school in which 
to educate him, preferable to that of Gama- 
liel. He must first learn the watchful care 
of his heavenly Father in scenes of danger 
during his boyhood, and then be sent abroad 
as he grew older, to learn more advanced 
lessons, to prepare him the better for use- 
fulness in life. The house in which he was 
born, the home of his childhood, must be 
swept from the face of the ground, to show 
him that this earth is not his home, and 
that his life is to be that of a pilgrim here 
below. 

A Masonic lodge had chosen the third 
loft of the house for their hall. There they 
kept their long chest, containing a great 
variety of things that had very much raised 
William's curiosity, but he was not allowed 
to meddle w T ith them. 



22 WILLIAM THEOPHILCS. 

On the 24th of December, 1777, St. John's 
day, the Masons assembled in the hall to 
celebrate their anniversary. The weather 
was very cold, and they made a large fire 
to warm them. About noon . they all left 
the house, and walked in procession. The 
fire was left to burn down, and no evil was 
apprehended. That night, about eleven 
o'clock, William was aroused from a deep 
sleep, nearly suffocated with smoke. Some 
of the family were awake while others slept ; 
but none could tell from whence the smoke 
came. What a scene followed for a dark 
winter's night, in which there was not even 
snow to relieve the gloom ! The thickness 
of the smoke in the house obscured the light 
of candles, and almost stifled the inmates ; 
and yet no one knew where the fire was. 
God was nigh in this extremity; he saw 
their danger and distress, and he sent a 
man to solve the awful mystery. The 
brother of William's father, just returning 
home about midnight, stepped into the 
chamber beneath the Masonic hall, and saw 
a bright place in the wall, near the chim- 
ney : after looking at it for a while, he took 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 23 

a nearer view: he then felt it, and cried 
" Fire ! fire ! fire !" What a relief to find 
the source of danger ! The fire was under 
the floor of the hall, and had almost burned 
through ; two young men were sleeping on 
a pallet upon the floor, while the smolder- 
ing fire was coming near their feet; they 
were awakened, they sprang upon the hot 
floor and escaped. An ax now split the 
floor, and water from the spring quenched 
the fire. Thus God in a critical time 
brought deliverance. 

Another lesson of divine care over this 
little orphan boy, was seen in his preserva- 
tion "in perils by water." Three times, in 
different places, when he was learning the 
art of swimming, his life was in great dan- 
ger ; God, in his watchful providence, drew 
him out of deep waters, and gave him to 
breathe freely in his own element. In each 
case, when he was under water, he clearly 
saw that "there was but a step between 
him and death," and as a poor sinner, there 
was but a step between him and hell ! O, 
the riches of divine mercy ! And yet the 
spared sinner went on in sin. 



24 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

The next peril of his life, while yet a 
hoy, took place by his being put in charge 
of a horse and cart, and directed to drive 
some miles towards the town of Fairfield, 
twelve miles east of Norwalk. . He had not 
gone two miles before the horse grew un- 
manageable ; William then got out of the 
cart and held on by the lines ; while run- 
ning on foot in hope of being able to hold 
the horse, he threw the lines about his 
shoulders to save their dragging. But the 
horse was more than a match for his driver, 
and gained the victory; the long lines be- 
came turned about the poor boy's neck,* 
while the horse broke away, dragging the 
distressed child, cart and all, into a pile of 
brush, and there stood still. Two gentle- 
men, providentially passing by, soon re- 
lieved William from his peril. What an- 
gels of deliverance were those kind men ! 
How good was the Lord in having them 
ready then and there to save poor William 
from his danger ! 

In the summer of the year 1779, or 1780, 
came Governor Tryon and some soldiers, 
all in the service of King George the Third, 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 25 

and set fire to the dwellings of the people 
of Norwalk ; and when they took leave of 
the town, one hundred and one naked chim- 
neys of houses, that they had burned during 
their visit, were witnesses of their valor ! 
The house in which William was born 
showed two naked chimneys and its deso- 
lated stone walls. 

As a school-boy, William was not behind 
his fellows ; he loved learning. But in 
those days juvenile books were scarce arti- 
cles. However, the JSTew Testament was 
put into his hands, and till he was ten years 
of age he was a regular reader in the Testa- 
ment class. During this time every verse 
in that blessed book had become very fami- 
liar to him. 

An older class read in the Old Testament. 
This was called the Bible class. Any one 
who could read well in that class was es- 
teemed a finished reader; these were the 
only reading classes then known in common 
schools. Younger readers had only easy 
lesson 3 out of Thomas Dil worth's spelling- 
book, the only book for first instruction 
known and used in that day. The Bible, 



26 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

Testament, and Dilworth, completed the 
education, as far as spelling, reading, and 
grammar were taught. Writing and arith- 
metic came in as a matter of course. Arith- 
metic was thought to be completed when 
the scholar had learned addition, subtrac- 
tion, multiplication, division, reduction, and 
the single rule of three. Some, however, 
studied practice, and here and there one 
learned to cast simple interest. This was the 
full learning of the day, and he who had 
learned these things came out from school a 
finished scholar, and capable of being a 
school-master. 

Things often happen at school that are 
never forgotten. William was small of his 
age, and not tall enough to rank with the 
larger boys of the Bible class. By repeated 
change of school-masters he always passed 
for one of the little boys ; for with the 
masters promotion w r as not according to 
merit, but usually according to size. By 
this course William remained a long while 
in the Testament class. Finally the head 
scholar in the Bible class, (a tall, stout fel- 
low,) of his own accord, proposed to the mas- 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 27 

ter, that William should be a member of 
the Bible class. His request was granted. 
This unexpected favor so excited the grati- 
tude of William's heart that he never forgot 
it. Indeed, he acknowledged the favor to 
his benefactor when they had both become 
old men. 

When William was about ten years old, 
one of his uncles, a physician, although 
not a professor of religion, gave him some 
good advice about the concerns of his soul, 
and the account he would have to give God 
at the last day. His uncle showed him that 
he should shun bad company, and avoid bad 
words, and all bac^onduct, telling him that 
the all-seeing eye of God was continually 
upon him. He told him also of the duty 
of private prayer, when he should lie down 
at night and when he should rise in the 
morning. Most gladly and with a grateful 
heart did William receive this counsel ; and 
so much the more as it came from one from 
whom he had not expected it. Never was 
this advice lost, especially that relating to 
private prayer; even when he had neg- 
lected that duty, the recollection of the 



28 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

doctor's kind advice was like a harrow on 
his conscience till the duty was again at- 
tended to. 

Nor did the tender-hearted physician lose 
his reward. A few years afterward, when 
declining in health, he became very peni- 
tent, and Jesus forgave his sins. He then 
spoke in transports of the joys of redeeming 
love, and died in peace. 

Our gracious Redeemer despiseth not the 
day of small things. How many who, like 
the doctor, could speak a word for God be- 
fore they were converted, have found Jesus 
to be to them a very present help in time of 
trouble ! ^» 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 29 



CHAPTER III. 

HIS VENERATION FOR MINISTERS AND RELIGION HIS FIRST 

AWAKENING AND EFFORT TO BE BETTER GOES TO BAL- 
TIMORE JOHN GOODMAN JAMES BETTERMAN AWAK- 
ENING ENDANGERED BY CHARLES— ESCAPES THE SNARE 

PIOUS JOHN'S COUNSEL FIRST CLASS-MEETING, SE- 
COND AND THIRD THEIR RESULTS TO HIS SOUL. 

William ever felt a peculiar veneration for 
ministers of the gospel ; he " esteemed them 
very highly in love for their work's sake." 
The presence of an ambassador of Christ 
filled his mind with a religious awe. He 
also highly respected what he thought gave 
evidence of true religion ; nor would he ever 
violate the decorum due to it. While yet 
he was ignorant of the nature of a true 
work of grace in the heart, he supposed that 
a moral life and an outward profession of 
religion by joining the Church were all that 
were necessary to prepare him for the king- 
dom of heaven when death should have 
closed our probationary life. Although he 
had been in school a reader of the New 
Testament till all parts of that blessed 
book had become very familiar to his mind, 



30 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

yet the doctrine of salvation by faith in the 
precious blood of Christ, the knowledge of 
sins forgiven, the witness of the Spirit, 
and our adoption into the family of God, 
were as little known to him as if he had been 
bred a heathen. Morality and "a profession 
were his dependence for his justification in 
the day of judgment; but if these on that 
awful day should prove deficient, then the 
mercy of God and the merit of Christ, he 
thought, would, somehow or other, save 
him. 

Such were his views on the great interests 
of his soul as he grew up to manhood, and 
he was in great danger of " perishing for 
lack of knowledge." Jesus now more power- 
fully " knocked at the door " of his heart. 

When he was twenty years of age, as he 
was in one of the streets of New- York, walk- 
ing near Coenties slip early in the day, 
these reflections entered his mind, namely : 
" Every breath you breathe comes to you 
from the Lord, in his mercy, breath by 
breath as you need it ; and if your sins 
should provoke him to withhold your breath 
and let you drop into eternity, what would 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 31 

become of your poor guilty soul?" Sin 
now appeared, as it was, exceeding sinful ; 
and a flaming sword in the hand of justice, 
giving him a sense of wrath divine, alarmed 
him. Here was real conviction, such as he 
had never known before ; but poor William 
had no one to take him by the hand and 
lead him to Jesus ; he could only resolve to 
live better and pray more, and work a little 
harder at the trade of self-righteousness. 
He did not yet understand the question, 
" Wherefore do ye spend your money for 
that which is not bread, and your labor for 
that which satisfieth not?" But God, in 
compassion to his weakness and his igno- 
rance, providentially changed his place of 
residence to Baltimore, and there taught 
him how to distinguish between the "pre- 
cious and the vile," in matters of religion. 

The person with whom he first resided in 
Baltimore lived up town, in Market-street. 
He was known by the characteristic term of 
" The honest man up street." He was a 
professor of religion, belonging to the same 
sect as that of William's father and grand- 
father before him. This pious gentleman 



32 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

was no other than Mr. John Goodman. He 
was just such a man as William Theophilus 
had marked out for the true Christian : 
he was moral in life ; he was a regular 
Church member. William sat with him in 
his family pew on Sundays, and for a while 
he was honored with the privilege of sitting 
with him at table, and joining with him in 
family prayers. They kneeled, too, in 
family worship, which seemed better than 
standing to pray, as was so common in Con- 
necticut. 

His friend, Mr. Goodman, was not alto- 
gether unchangeable; for after having es- 
tablished his character as one of the " elect," 
he became a little less particular in his 
ways. His sanctimonious face gradually 
became morose towards his pupil, together 
with correspondent treatment ; prayers grew 
scarcer, and Sunday privileges were not en- 
joyed as before. 

The Lord soon changed William's resi- 
dence, from the house of John Goodman to 
the more pleasant dwelling of Mr. James 
Betterman, who had been well educated in 
the school of Jesus. He had learned of him 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 33 

who is meek and lowly in heart. True re- 
ligion shone forth in his family circle. The 
morning and evening devotions of the family 
were all blessed by the presence of the 
Saviour, and harmony and love reigned 
throughout their borders. Hereafter he 
listened to another ministry and another 
doctrine from that to which he had been 
used. 

To prepare him for this change of circum- 
stances, it pleased God, on the evening be- 
fore he left the house of Mr. Goodman, to 
awaken him in a more powerful manner 
than ever. He was attacked with a convul- 
sion fit, and he feared another attack, which 
might be fatal. At once all his hope of 
heaven from his own goodness forsook him. 
Eternity, which now seemed so near, fore- 
boded only eternal misery. 

Judge of his feelings while in this awful 
condition ! But God in mercy now gave 
him space to repent ; nor did he lose the op- 
portunity, for in one month from that night 
he was happy in God. But more about this 
in the next chapter. Next morning he was 
a member of Mr. Betterinan's family. 
3 



34 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

In that kind and Christian family resided 
an amiable young man, of the most winning 
and affectionate manners, and of a beautiful 
person. This young man had been the 
means of William's going to reside at the 
house of Mr. Betterman. His name was 
Charles. In anticipating their friendly re- 
sidence together, how much happiness they 
expected in each other! Their friendship 
had been of a few weeks' standing, while 
yet William lived with Mr. Goodman. How 
happy now should they be in each other ! 
Before the awakening of William took 
place, Charles had once, on a Sabbath, in- 
troduced William to a tavern circle, where 
peach-brandy made a part of the pleasure 
of the company ; but William having been 
taught to remember the Sabbath day, did 
not relish that way of keeping Sabbath any 
more than he did intoxicating drink. He 
consequently did not go any more to such a 
place. 

On another Sabbath Charles introduced 
him to a Methodist meeting, in the Balti- 
more alms-house. The preacher was Bev. 
J. Chalmers, who had been an officer in the 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 35 

revolutionary war. He was a " son of 
thunder;" his preaching made William 
tremble ; but he soon began to resist the 
Spirit, saying in his heart, " I won't be a 
Methodist." 

Another trick of the devil which Charles 
practiced to lead William astray, was a 
friendly invitation to accompany him to a 
ball. This was accepted. William then 
found fault with the Methodists for oppos- 
ing that " innocent amusement" Charles 
said that the Methodists were right in so 
doing. William called for Scripture proof; 
Charles quoted St. Paul — " Whatsoever is 
not of faith is sin" — saying, " There is no 
faith in dancing." William replied, "Then 
you will not get me to your dance ; for I 
cannot go deliberately into known sin !" 
Poor Charles, sorry for the success of his 
argument, had thereby laid a train for 
breaking up the intimacy that existed be- 
tween them. After this conversation Wil- 
liam was brought under deep conviction for 
sin. He therefore took the first opportu- 
nity to persuade Charles to join him in 
serving God. Charles commended religion, 



36 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

but would not promise to serve God himself. 
William tried very hard to persuade Char- 
les to be a Christian, but Charles, that 
beautiful youth, then deliberately chose the 
way to hell ! Nor could William ever learn 
that he changed his mind. William as 
decidedly chose the way to heaven, nor has 
he ever changed his mind. William then 
said to Charles, " Now we must part ; but 
before we separate I have one thing to 
request, which is, that you will not perse- 
cute me. You shall never hinder me, but 
I had rather not be persecuted." Charles 
promised, and kept his word. From that 
hour all intimacy between them ended. Wil- 
liam's decision was a wise one. He that is 
fully decided to serve God will soon be 
happy in his love. 

Irreligious company is always dangerous 
to those who would serve God, especially to 
young beginners in religion. 

Let all who would save their souls lay 
aside every weight, and all sin, and run 
with patience the race that is set before 
them. 

In the pleasant family of Mr. Betterman 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 37 

there were four living witnesses for Jesus, 
—one of them, a pious young man, named 
John. He and William both lodged in the 
same chamber. William was very glad of 
the company of this pious youth. Of him 
he could learn something about real reli- 
gion. He opened his whole heart to John : 
he speaking of the morality of his life, 
John replied, that although morality was 
good, yet he must have more than morality, 
or he could not be saved. John advised 
him to pray earnestly to God to enlighten 
his mind, and to show him what he needed. 
This advice was gladly followed. He in- 
quired of John about class-meeting ; John, 
at his request, promised to show him into a 
class-meeting, and on Friday evening, about 
the first of June, 1790, he, for the first time, 
attended a religious class. So charmed was 
he with the services, that language cannot 
show all his feelings. The hymn, " My 
God, the spring of all my joys," exceeded 
any music that he had ever before heard; 
and when they sang " Eun up with joy the 
shining way," it seemed to him as if he saw 
heaven opened, and the soul leaving earth 



38 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

and rising on wings to meet the Lord. 
William was not converted then, but such 
heavenly drawings sometimes go before the 
new birth ; and there is reason to fear that 
some have mistaken such temporary ecsta- 
sies for the new birth, instead of pressing 
on truly to know the Lord. 

A second class-meeting was good, but not 
like the first. At the third he was a sinking 
Peter, and cried, " Save, Lord, or I perish." 
Jesus then was moved with compassion, and 
saved him from despair. Poor William 
now could thank God that he was not for- 
saken of the Holy Spirit. All burden was 
gone, but no evidence of pardon came ; his 
soul he now leaned on Christ, all resigned 
to his will, but no joy of heart was felt. 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 39 



CHAPTER IV. 

THE DAY OF HIS NEW BIRTH — SOLITUDE IN TALKATIVE 
COMPANY — HIS THOUGHTS — HE BELIEVES — THE WIT- 
NESS — HIS JOY CHANGE OF HEART AND LIFE THE 

REASONING BY WHICH HE BECAME A METHODIST HIS 

PEACE GROWTH IN GRACE HE RETURNS TO CONNEC- 
TICUT AND MEETS UNEXPECTED CONFLICTS GOD SUS- 
TAINS HIM. 

On June 19, 1790, William Theophilus was 
" translated into the kingdom of God's dear 
Son." The morning was pleasant, the air 
was healthy, and his mind calm ; he was 
reflecting on the solemn scene of the pre- 
vious night, and the relief that Jesus had 
given him in the class-meeting. The scene 
around him was not in accordance with the 
solemnity of his thoughts, for a few talka- 
tive and prattling sinners were enjoying 
their vanity, as if trifling afforded them 
enjoyment ; while William, as one alone, 
was so deeply thoughtful about his soul as 
to be scarcely aware of their presence. He 
was longing after the blessed Saviour, and 
thirsting for the living God. 

" 0," said he, " that I had lived when 



40 WILLIAM THE0PHILUS. 

Christ was upon earth, or that his coming 
had been in this our day : I would go to him 
and ask him to forgive my sins ; and surely 
he would not deny me, for he never sent one 
away empty that came to him for his mercy. 
But Christ is God ; of course he is un- 
changeable ; he is now present, and as ready 
to forgive as if I saw him on earth. But 
how shall I have access to him ?" 

All at once he seemed, in thought, to view 
Jesus in heaven, pleading with the Father 
for him ! — yea, Jesus pleading his cause, as 
he had never before conceived. The agony 
and bloody sweat, the suffering on the cross, 
the fullness of the atonement for all sin as 
the burden of the Saviour's intercession, and 
all for him, a poor guilty sinner, rushed at 
once upon his mind, and gave him such a 
sense of his guilt, that he said in his heart, 
" What a wretch, deserving eternal damna- 
tion, am I, whose sins are so great that no- 
thing short of such a sacrifice could be an 
atonement sufficient to merit my pardon ! 
Yet that sacrifice, having been offered on 
purpose for me, and having been accepted 
of God the Father, has paid my debt ; and 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 41 

God can now forgive me for the sake of his 
Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. It is his will 
that it should be so, for that was the very 
purpose for which the Saviour died." 

Immediately faith sprang up in his heart, 
while it seemed that God smiled acceptance, 
and spake to the heart of William, " Son, 
thy sins are forgiven." There was a force 
and a charm in this divine expression, such 
as he never felt or knew before ! William, 
amazed, said in his heart : " Is this real ; 
or does my heart deceive me?" That in- 
stant, the Holy Ghost shone in upon his 
soul, and witnessed with his spirit the glori- 
ous fact, that God, for Christ's sake, had 
forgiven all his sins. 

How changed the scene now! Not only 
was his heart new, but all things around 
him seemed new. The very face of creation 
appeared renewed. He was so transported 
with the change, so happy, that all his nerves 
were in a tremor of joy. Here was real re- 
ligion ; a conversion in which, there was no 
mistake ! 

This day formed an epoch in the history 
of his life from which all his real hap- 



42 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

piness takes its date in relation to time or 
eternity. 

William had long ago abandoned his 
boyish hope of becoming a minister of the 
gospel, because all hope of a suitable educa- 
tion had failed ; yet " as the heavens are 
higher than the earth, so are God's ways 
higher than our ways, and his thoughts 
than our thoughts." 

William now determined to show a good 
example, and to live the gospel if he could 
not preach it. Indeed he resolved to be a 
thorough Christian, and not to trim between 
God and this vain world. He stripped off 
everything that was tawdry or fashionable 
in his dress ; he became plain in his apparel, 
and solemn in spirit; there was an end to 
"jesting and foolish talking," to all worldli- 
ness and worldly company. His associates 
must be the people of God, or those that 
were striving to become Christians ; and if 
puffs of ridicule were directed against him 
he did not resent, or retaliate, or even seem 
to notice them. In fact, as he had become 
a new man he determined to lead a new 
life. 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 43 

Another weighty matter now claimed his 
prayerful thoughts. Having become a dis- 
ciple of Christ, he must unite in Christian 
fellowship with the followers of the Lamb ; 
but of these there were different sects, dif- 
ferent doctrines, and different modes of 
Church government, — Protestant Episco- 
palians, Presbyterians, Baptists, Congrega- 
tionalists, Methodists, Quakers, and other 
sects, — among all of whom experimental 
religion was taught and enjoyed ; and who 
could say that true piety was not a ruling 
principle among them all ? Was it, there- 
fore, a matter of little importance to which 
of these Churches he should unite in his 
Christian profession? For instance, where 
they differ in doctrines, one or the other 
must be wrong ; for of two opposite opinions, 
if one is Bible truth the other must be error, 
and will not error in opinion lead to wrong 
practice or neglect in duty ? 

In this matter William searched his Bible, 
for the Bible was his standard. Some be- 
lieved that God had, from all eternity, 
chosen a certain part of men for heaven, 
and that the elect number only could be 



44 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

saved : but he read in his Bible, that God 
was not willing that any should perish, but 
that all should come to repentance ; also, 
that " Jesus Christ, by the grace of God, 
tasted death for every man." Some be- 
lieved that a man that had been once con- 
verted could never, through sin, be lost: 
but the Bible said, " Be thou faithful unto 
death, and I will give thee a crown of life ;" 
thus implying that unfaithfulness would 
cause the loss of that crown — whereas, to 
think it could not be. lost would be apt to 
make us careless and fall back into sin. 
Some believed that every man, even the 
righteous, doth daily break the- command- 
ments of God, in thought, word, and deed: 
but the Bible says, " Whosoever is born of 
God doth not commit sin," and "he that 
committeth sin is of the devil." 

He concluded to attach himself where he 
found the holiest doctrine, the holiest peo- 
ple, the most spiritual preaching, the warm- 
est brotherly-love, and the most abundant 
means of grace. 

The thought of leaving the Presbyterians, 
and the way in which he had been brought 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 45 

up. as well as his father and grandfather 
before him, seemed to him a heavy cross. 
Yet what good had the religion of his fore- 
fathers ever done him ? God had sent him 
among the Methodists, and they had been 
the means, by the divine blessing, of the 
conversion of his soul. They would, conse- 
quently, be the most likely to watch over 
that soul carefully ; and if he could be of 
any use in life to the Church, the Metho- 
dists were entitled to his services : he there- 
fore joined the Methodists. 

What changes thus happened to William 
in one month ! In May he was a poor sin- 
ner, a child of wrath, an associate with sin- 
ners, with a proud heart and foppish dress, 
without prayer and without God in the 
world; in June, a Christian, soundly con- 
verted. His heart was humbled, his outside 
finery was stripped off, and he made truly 
happy in Christ. In short, by the grace of 
God, he had been made an heir of glory. 

William having conscientiously and in 
the fear of God chosen the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church for his spiritual home, his at- 
tachment to that communion became very 



46 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

strong. Like a true son of that Christian 
family, he soon felt himself at home in her 
discipline, doctrine, and usages. He joined 
on probation, in the same class where the 
Lord had before blessed him. From that 
time he never failed to love class-meeting, 
which he still warmly recommends as an 
excellent help to " growth in grace." 

While he Avas in Baltimore, where he re- 
mained only about three months after his 
conversion, it pleased God to favor him with 
very rich effusions of grace, that he might 
be better prepared for the conflicts which 
awaited him on his return to Connecticut, 
where Methodism then was but little known, 
and Christian fellowship and brotherly-love 
were tried by " doubtful disputations." 

In his native State he felt the want of 
some of the means of grace which he had 
enjoyed in Baltimore, while he had to en- 
counter an array of opposition that he had 
by no means expected. Although his op- 
posers were Christians of undoubted experi- 
ence, and church-members in good standing, 
who did not attempt to question the truth 
of William's account of the work of grace in 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 47 

his soul ; yet had he been, in their view, a 
real reprobate, he could not have been at- 
tacked more frequently or disputed with 
more warmly. The chief point in contro- 
versy was the possibility of a saint's falling 
from grace. Christian perfection was some- 
times attacked as a very dangerous heresy ; 
but if he did not believe unconditional elec- 
tion, it was thought by them a sure sign 
that he was a reprobate. 

These conflicts coming upon him while so 
young in religion, drove him frequently 
and fervently to the throne of grace, that 
he might have divine help and not dishonor 
the cause of God. He never began a dis- 
pute, but had only to defend himself when 
assaulted; and he always was careful to 
preserve a Christian temper, so that his faith 
grew the stronger, and his soul the happier 
by every contest. If he ever suffered loss 
by such professors of religion, it was by par- 
taking of their spirit of levity while in con- 
versation with them. 

His Bible, his Methodist Discipline and 
hymn book were his counselors and com- 
panions ; and his closet was his little sane- 



48 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

tuary, where, like " Nathanael under the 
fig- tree," his soul enjoyed the presence of 
the blessed Kedeemer. 

In this way he daily found a renewal of 
his spiritual strength; for very few of the 
means of grace beside these were allotted to 
him. The sermons that were read every 
Sabbath were dull and dry. 



WILLIAM THEOPHILU& 49 



CHAPTER V. 

ORGANIZATION OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH 

FIRST EFFORTS OF METHODIST ITINERANTS IN CONNEC- 
TICUT SLANDERS — REFORM OF A PROFANE YOUTH A 

STRANGER IN A COURT — HEARS A CHARGE AGAINST HIM 

AND FINDS HIM OUT* — HEARS A METHODIST SERMON 

QUARTERLY MEETING AT LEE'S CHAPEL GOES TO NEW- 
YORK — JOINS CLASS. 

In the year 1784, December 25, the Metltod- 
ist Episcopal Church was organized in Bal- 
timore ; in no part of the world had there 
been any Church of that name or title before. 
Methodist societies in England were known as 
belonging to the ecclesiastical Establishment 
of Great Britain, under the care of Rev. John 
"Wesley ; in America they were known as a 
religious society, scattered throughout the 
different States. They had neither ordination 
nor ordinances before. That organization 
was of episcopal form, on the itinerant plan. 
They undertook to obey Christ's order ; to 
" go into all the world and preach the gos- 
pel to every creature," as far as they could. 
In the year 1789 began their first operations 
in New-England. Some of their first east- 
4 



50 WILLIAM THE0PHILUS. 

em circuits were formed in the State of 
Connecticut. Eev. Jesse Lee, the pioneer 
in that part of the itinerant field, was 
appointed in 1789 to Stamford ; and in 
1790, when William returned to Connecti- 
cut, he saw him laboring for' God in that 
State. He is mentioned as a sample of the 
Methodist preachers of that day. Subse- 
quently he was well known as chaplain to 
Congress. 

When William returned from Baltimore 
to Connecticut, he heard many slanders 
about those Methodist preachers whose 
labors God was then crowning with abun- 
dant success. Some said that they were 
the " false prophets that were to come in 
the latter days." " Not they," said some ; 
"they are agents of the British king, 
sent to recover back these colonies to the 
crown." " Not so," said others ; " they are 
a set of broken merchants, too lazy to work, 
and they are spunging on the community." 
" Ah !" said good Deacon Comfort, " they are 
a pack of merit-mongers ; all Arminians ; 
going to heaven by their own righteous- 
ness." " Don't you believe that," said Jona- 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 51 

than Pounder, the blacksmith, "Til prove 
their character from Scripture : — ' Of this 
sort are they which creep into houses, and 
lead captive silly women laden with sins, 
led away with divers lusts. ' " 

How could William hear these false and 
absurd things reported as facts, and be 
silent? Nay, but like a good soldier of 
Jesus Christ, he stood forth in defense of 
the truth of their Christian character, and 
in vindication of the holy doctrines preach- 
ed by these slandered servants of the Most 
High. 

It so happened that he was acquainted 
with a young man, a clerk in a store, who 
was the most profane person in the town. 
William kindly conversed with him on the 
salvation of his soul, and endeavored to 
inform his mind on the subject of a change 
of heart. God- gave a blessing to the ad- 
vice, and John became thoroughly reformed, 
and with a broken and contrite heart sought 
after the blessed Saviour. 

In the month of April, 1791, a Methodist 
from a neighboring town came to attend a 
civil court, and while he was there a man 



52 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS, 

came into the court and entered a complaint 
against William as a dangerous person, re- 
questing that he might be warned to leave 
the town, stating that the danger lay in the 
fact " that he was a Methodist;" and that if 
he was suffered to live among them he 
would bring Methodist preachers into the 
place, and break up their religious societies. 
The complaint was not acted upon by the 
court, but the stranger Methodist learned 
thereby the place of William's residence, 
and went to find him. He told William, 
when he found him, that in his neighbor- 
hood, about seven miles off, there would be 
Methodist preaching on such an evening the 
ensuing week, by the Eev. John Bloodgood. 
William hired a horse at the time and at- 
tended the meeting, and felt well rewarded 
by the blessings received in thus worshiping 
God. Mr. Bloodgood gave notice of a quar- 
terly meeting to be held on the first Satur- 
day and Sabbath in May, about ten miles 
from William's place of residence. William 
resolved to be at that meeting, although he 
was not acquainted with the road, or the 
place, or the people. He was not able to 




WILLIAM AT THE QUARTERLY MEETING. 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 55 

go there on the Saturday, yet, on Sabbath 
morning, at the rising of the sun, and with- 
out breakfast, he set out for the place of 
the meeting. A quarterly meeting ! Once 
only in Baltimore he had been at a quar- 
terly meeting. Most cheerfully did he 
take his morning walk of ten miles, and 
the distance seemed short. At the appoint- 
ed time he found himself at the door of a 
house where a large room-full of people 
were singing the praises of God in a hymn, 
the chorus of which they sung thus : — 

" the Lamb, the loving Lamb, 
The Lamb on Calvary, — 
The Lamb was slain, 
But lives again, 
To intercede for me." 

The sound seemed heavenly ; it brought 
afresh to his mind the happy scenes he had 
experienced at Baltimore. He soon found 
himself in a heavenly atmosphere ; he was 
beckoned to a seat where, covering his face, 
he gave vent to a fresh flood of tears : — this 
was a love-feast never forgotten. It was in 
this love-feast that, for the first time, he 
gave in his testimony for God. Mr. Blood- 



56 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

good fastened on him his penetrating eye, 
and was afterward heard to say, " That 
young man is destined to become a preach- 
er." After the love-feast, the public servi- 
ces at the meeting-house followed, and then 
the holy communion; through all which 
the divine blessing was graciously poured 
out upon the assembly. This meeting- 
house was known by the name of Lee's 
Chapel, so called in memory of the Eev. 
Jesse Lee, who was the first traveling Me- 
thodist preacher that entered New-England 
in that capacity. 

After the first quarterly-meeting services 
were over, as William, in the afternoon of 
the day, was sitting in the house of a friend, 
he noticed the spreading of the family table. 
The thought occurred to him, " Where did 
I dine? Nowhere. Where did I break- 
fast? Nowhere. Am I hungry? Not at 
all." Truly, he had been so fed on a " feast 
of fat things of religion," that he " had for- 
gotten to take bread." 

The blessing of this quarterly meeting, 
however, together with the enjoyments of 
the company of his Methodist brethren, 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 57 

gave a turn to his mind that made him 
resolve to be where his soul would be better 
fed, and where his religious privileges would 
be greater than during the seven months 
last past. And as the authorities of the 
place of his residence would not do him the 
honor to warn him out of town, he felt like 
one "warned of God to flee from wrath to 
come." He soon fixed his residence in the 
city of New- York, where he could enjoy the 
means of grace suitable to his spiritual 
wants. " The kingdom of God, and his 
righteousness," must henceforth be first 
sought, and the blessed Saviour had pro- 
mised all other needful supplies. He met 
with Rev. Jesse Lee in Stratford, took a 
note from him, and was soon a member of 
Mr. A. Russel's class, in that city. 



58 ' WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 



CHAPTER VI. 

CONFLICTS OF MIND HAS THE YELLOW FEVER — AN AC- 
COUNT OF HIS CONFLICTS ABOUT PREACHING THE 
GOSPEL — REFERS THE MATTER TO GOD BY PRAYER — 
CONVINCED OF DUTY, AND AWAITS THE INDICATIONS 
OF GRACE AND PROVIDENCE — DISCOURAGED BY DELAY, 
BUT HIS FAITH AND COURAGE RENEWED — MAKES HIS 

^BEGINNING GOD SUSTAINS HIM TWO YEARS LOCAL — 

ADMITTED TO TRAVEL IN THE NEW-YORK CONFERENCE 
IN THE YEAR 1797. 

When William was in Stratford, on his 
way to New- York, a pions person told him 
that Mr. Bloodgood had prophesied that he 
would become a preacher. This informa- 
tion gave him much trouble, because he did 
not believe the prophecy, but thought it was 
a stratagem of Satan to puff him up with 
pride, in order to cause him to fall, or to 
lead him into a dangerous mistake ; for he 
fully believed that if he should undertake 
to preach the gospel without being "inward- 
ly moved by the Holy Ghost to take upon 
him the office and work of the ministry," 
he would be a curse to the Church, and in 
imminent danger of losing his soul. He 



WILLIAM THEOPHILU^. 59 

seemed to have forgotten the choice of his 
childhood to become a minister. He had 
quite given up all thoughts that it was yet 
possible that he might be a preacher ; for, 
on the one hand, the dignity of the sacred 
office seemed too great for him ever to think 
of; and, on the other hand, he thought him- 
self so vile and ignorant that it was utterly 
impossible for him ever to appear in that 
character. 

Mr. Russel's class, which he had joined, 
met in John-street church, on Sabbath 
morning, at six o'clock. After having 
been so long deprived of that valuable 
means of grace, it now seemed to him " as 
the shadow of a great rock in a weary 
land." 

Prayer-meetings and the Friday-night 
preaching in that venerated place of wor- 
ship, were to him also as " cold waters to a 
thirsty soul." But to pray there, or in any 
other public meeting vocally, was too great 
an undertaking for him ; some occasional 
efforts in family prayer were the utmost of 
his endeavors to pray in the hearing of 
others ; except that once in a meeting for 



60 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

prayer, in a private house, where help was 
wanting, he ventured to pray, when his ex- 
pressions seemed to him so unedifying that 
he rather regretted his attempt. 

This was in the year 1791, a year memor- 
able for the first time that the yellow fever 
was known in New- York; it prevailed in 
and about the neighborhood of his board- 
ing place. In August and September many 
died of it. People then had not learned to 
flee from the infected place, nor had the 
physicians enough knowledge of the nature 
of the disease to treat it successfully. Wil- 
liam fell sick of this dreadful disease, and 
for eight days endured extreme sufferings. 
He was at length delivered from his immi- 
nent danger, and a two weeks' visit to Con- 
necticut restored him to his usual state of 
health. His Saviour was with him in the 
time of trouble. 

The " Son of God, having walked with 
him through this fire/' began to teach him 
in a new way, a new and unexpected les- 
son, — that " which the Holy Ghost teach- 
eth," and such as none but the Holy Ghost 
can teach, and is known only to " him that 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 61 

is spiritual." Old John-street church, where 
thousands had learned of Him who is " meek 
and lowly in heart," was the school-house 
where he learned the first of this lesson. 
He went there for divine worship, and while 
he was attentive to the voice of the minis- 
ter, his mind was suddenly arrested by a 
still small voice, felt but not heard, saying, 
" Go thou and preach the gospel." Sur- 
prised, he looked round on the people, the 
flame of love warmed his heart, tears filled 
his eyes ; he asked his heart, " Does God 
call me to preach ? No !" 

Before the close of the month of August, 
on a Thursday evening, while listening to a 
sermon preached by Eev. E. Whatcoat in 
Forsyth-street church, on this text, "Where- 
fore gird up the loins of your mind and 
hope to the end, for the grace that shall be 
brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus 
Christ," the call was repeated, " Go thou 
and preach the gospel!" It came with a 
force that sunk deep into his mind, and 
made him gird up the loins of his mind as 
he had never done before ; he was brought 
to a stand : he asked his heart. " Is it pos- 



62 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

sible that this is a call from God ? If so, I 
can no longer plead my vileness' to shun 
the cross ; whom he calls, he will qualify. 
If this is his voice, I will not disobey ; let 
me but know his will and I will not confer 
with flesh and blood ; my all depends on 
my obedience." Such were the reasonings 
of William's mind ; and, full of faith in the 
faithfulness of God, he retired to his cham- 
ber. His prayer was, that God would that 
night, in a dream, make known to him his 
will, promising, that if he was called to 
preach, he would not fail to obey. Then 
he quietly laid him down to rest and soon 
fell asleep. In a dream of that very night, 
a voice said to him, " Arise, and go to such 
a place, and there it shall be shown to you 
what is the will of God concerning you." 
Something like inspiration seemed to lead 
him directly to the appointed place, and he 
found himself standing on the bank of the 
East Eiver, near Corlaers-hook. The banks 
on each side of the river seemed majesti- 
cally high. The waters were as a strong 
impetuous- current of a clear and lucid 
flood, rapidly flowing from the east in a 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 63 

westerly direction. The city, on the north, 
seemed not merely New- York, hut all Amer- 
ica ; immensely populous even beyond his 
view, containing many high steeples and 
low cupolas, all indicating places of religi- 
ous worship. He turned his attention to 
this glorious river, and behold ! on the sur- 
face of the rapid water stood permanently, 
the most plain, simple, white, and elegant 
house for divine worship that his eyes ever 
saw, having a steeple whose spire was the 
tallest and most delicately formed that he 
had ever seen. Nothing of all the wonders 
before him, so excited his attention and as- 
tonishment as this building, as it stood 
still and firm on the surface of the rapid 
flood! 

While he stood viewing it in deep thought, 
suddenly the whole visible heavens seemed 
wrapped in one general flame of dazzling 
light. Its splendor was indescribable, and 
the effect seemed most miraculous, in that 
the top of every steeple in sight (but not 
the low cupolas) was made to shine forth in 
reflection from this luminous glory, while 
the top of the spire of this house " founded 



64 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

upon the floods/' excelled in its brightness 
and reflection all the rest. The effect of 
this shining glory was a deep conviction of 
the wickedness of mankind, and the sen- 
tence of divine wrath against them. They 
seemed, at first thought, to be all inevita- 
bly doomed to eternal ruin ; and his horror 
at the thought was inexpressible ; but soon 
that horror was relieved by a voice telling 
him that their escape from the wrath to 
come was yet possible, although they were 
all now under the sentence of God's wrath, 
doomed to endless ruin ! Hope for them 
immediately sprang up in his heart, and he 
said, "The remainder of my days shall be 
spent in warning my dear fellow-creatures 
to flee from the wrath to come ;" and turn- 
ing away from the scene, as he seemed 
stepping over a pair of bars — he awoke ! 
He sprang from his bed, fell upon his knees, 
and attempted to pray, but his prayer was 
turned into praise. This was a dream in 
answer to prayer, and such a dream as he 
never again had during a long life, nor ever 
expects to have on this side of heaven. It 
was so clear, so bright, so rationally con- 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 65 

nected, and so deeply imprinted in his 
Memory, that the sixty years which have 
since elapsed, leave it as clear on his mind 
as the printed narrative of it is now before 
the reader. It appeared to him that the 
dreams of Joseph, the son of the patriarch 
Jacob, had not stronger evidence of having 
come from God. 

From that time he was fully convinced 
of his divine call to the Christian minis- 
try ; nor has his opinion on that subject 
ever changed. He had many afflictions and 
trials as to the time and manner of enter- 
ing the work of the ministry. While these 
trials lasted, he heard a preacher at a 
quarterly meeting, discussing the subject 
of the call and qualifications of a gospel 
minister, say, " Sometimes God calls one 
man to preach and sends him out immedi- 
ately. He calls another to be a preacher, 
but keeps him shut up three or four years 
in the great chamber of Jerusalem, (the 
Church of God,) and then sends him forth 
into his vineyard." These last words sunk 
deeply into William's heart, and he bowed 
down his head suddenly, under the impres- 



66 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 






sion that they made. He indeed " thanked 
God and took courage." 

At that time he resided in New-Haven, 
and had the honor and pleasure of enter- 
taining the traveling Methodist preachers 
when they came to preach in that city. He 
found an opportunity to open the secrets of 
his heart on the subject of preaching to 
Eev. N. Snethen, who, at that time, was one 
of the preachers of that circuit, then known 
as Middle-town Circuit. Mr. Snethen ad- 
vised him to begin to exhort in public ; but 
alas ! he had no gift of exhortation ; yet 
still the duty of preaching weighed hard 
and heavy upon his conscience. A text 
rested upon his mind, and a congregation 
was present to hear ; his text pressed him, 
but only as a lion in his way. He strove 
to edify the people by exhortation, by sing- 
ing, praying, and reading ; but how taste- 
less the service, how barren his heart ! He 
closed with prayer, and dismissed the as- 
sembly. 

He soon had an opportunity to state his 
trials to another preacher on the circuit, 
Rev. E. Rogers. This good brother was the 



WILLIAM THEOPHILl^. 67 

right counselor. " Brother," said he, " ex- 
hortation is one gift, preaching is another 
gift ; my call was immediately to preach. 
I never could exhort. I had rather now 
take a text and preach than give an ex- 
hortation. If you should again find your- 
self in similar circumstances as before, give 
out your text, and trust the Lord for help. 
You need not promise the audience anything, 
and they will have no right to expect any- 
thing." 

This was good counsel. William followed 
it. Not a week passed before he had an 
opportunity to prove the soundness of Mr. 
R. 7 s advice. 

In the month of August, 1795, he, for the 
first time, " opened his mouth and began at 
the same Scripture, and preached unto them 
Jesus." His text was, " Him hath God ex- 
alted with his right hand to be a Prince and 
a Saviour, to give repentance to Israel, and 
forgiveness of sins." Acts v, 31. Jesus 
gave aid ; he did not sink. William was 
now satisfied that, as the Holy Spirit gave 
the call to the work, so he would give aid 
in preaching : " that the inspiration of the 



68 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

Almighty giveth understanding." With 
gladness he embraced the many calls that 
were made for his services in public. He 
diligently studied the Bible and good books 
on divinity for the improvement of his 
mind, that he might be a " workman that 
needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing 
the word of truth." And God gave him 
favor in the sight of men. 

Two years he served the Church as a local 
preacher, sustained by a regular license, ac- 
cording to the Discipline of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. While he served God in 
the capacity of a local preacher in the Church 
of his choice, his brethren in the ministry 
repeatedly invited him to join the traveling 
connection, and become a member of the 
New- York Annual Conference, giving him- 
self up wholly to the sacred work of the 
ministry. 

The influence of the Holy Spirit on his 
heart, his love for precious souls, and his 
ardor for the prosperity of Zion, combined 
with the fact that there was pressing need 
for more helpers in the ministry, led him to 
judge that it was the call of God, and that 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 69 

it was liis duty to forsake all, and devote 
the remainder of his life to the direct ser- 
vice of the Church. Accordingly he sent his 
application to the New- York Annual Confer- 
ence, in the year 1797. It was accepted, 
and he was appointed to Litchfield Circuit, 
in the State of Connecticut. 

Forty-eight years he did effective service 
in the traveling ministry ; one year he was 
supernumerary; and in the spring of 1846, 
having entered the seventy-seventh year of 
his age, he felt it his duty to take the rela- 
tion of a superannuated preacher ; and after 
having been so long distributing bread to 
the hungry multitude, he still forgets not 
that his Lord said " Gather up the frag- 
ments that remain, that nothing be lost." 

The time and manner of his service was 
divided thus : — Thirteen years on circuits, 
six years presiding elder, one year supernu- 
merary, and twenty-nine years in stations. 
Of these forty-nine years of gospel labor the 
following pages give the reader a sketch. 



70 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 



CHAPTER VII. 

RECEIVED AT THE CONFERENCE OF 1797 — SENT TO LITCH- 
FIELD CIRCUIT HIS FIRST SEPARATION FROM HOME — 

DESCRIPTION OF HIS CIRCUIT PREACHING ALMOST EVERY 

DAY — PITTSFIELD CIRCUIT — REDDING CIRCUIT HIS FIRST 

ATTENDANCE AT CONFERENCE — THE SCRUTINY OF CHAR- 
ACTER — ADMITTED AND ORDAINED DEACON — STATIOInED 

ON POMFRET CIRCUIT — BIBLE READING REVIVALS — 

CONGREGATIONAL MINISTER — INDIAN — SQUAW INDIANS 

ELEVENTH HOUR. 

September, 1797, marked an entire change 
in all the affairs of William, who will here- 
after be known as Mr. T. Hitherto the 
hand of industry had fed him and his small 
family. All his movements were among 
the quiet affairs of a private life ; he did 
not court the notice of men; his leading 
wish was to please God and gain heaven. 
On the seventh of December, 1796, his eldest 
son was given him. Here was a charge of 
great importance now fallen into his hands, 
a soul of infinite value, for whose welfare 
he would be, in a great degree, accountable 
to God, and an additional weight on his 
affections to make his heart cleave to his 
home. Yet his purpose to leave all for 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 71 

Christ, in quest of souls, was before him. 
The mother and child were to be boarded 
with her parents, while he, in the coming 
year, should be far from home preaching 
Jesus. 

The twenty-eighth of September was the 
day chosen for his departure to Litchfield 
circuit. 

Such were the number and frequency of 
appointments on his circuit, that no vacancy 
could be found to admit of his visiting his 
family till the middle of December, after an 
absence of twelve weeks. 

Such was the amount of travel in Litch- 
field Circuit, including nearly all the towns 
in the county, in a four weeks' tour over hills 
and vales, that the journey around the cir- 
cuit was about three hundred miles. It was 
a pleasure to find well-regulated classes and 
a large proportion of substantial and worthy 
members. It pleased the Lord that he did 
not labor in vain. Souls were happily con- 
verted to God in different parts of the cir- 
cuit. It was the year of the first establish- 
ment of Methodism in Goshen, where a 
goodly number were converted. Cornwall, 



72 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

Winsted, and Simsbury shared in the feast 
of fat things. At Mount Tom and other 
places their labor was blessed in the Lord. 
How happy was he, to know that Jesus who 
sent him was with him ! 

In the course of the winter his family was 
moved into his circuit, and he had a home 
among the people. This was indeed a com- 
fort beyond his hopes. But when the plea- 
sant season of spring shone around, his 
presiding elder directed him, for the last 
quarter, to take Pittsfield circuit, in Massa- 
chusetts, and to send his family back to 
New-Haven. 

Mr. T. submissively bowed to authority 
and obeyed, and was in that year another 
twelve weeks separated from his family. 
" It is good for a man to bear the yoke in 
his youth." He had a very pleasant field 
of labor on Pittsfield circuit, and formed 
many valuable friends. Perhaps it will 
please the reader to know the places em- 
braced in this circuit, which required four 
weeks to pass round it: they were, Pitts- 

° The term " year/' in this narrative, means " from 
one conference to another." 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 73 

field, Granville, New-Lebanon, Chatham, 
Schodac, Troy, Bennington, Windsor, Pow- 
nal, Clarksburg, Stockbridge, Adams, Ste- 
ven town, Hillsdale, Egremont, Mount Wash- 
ington, Canaan, Salisbury; in the three 
States of Massachusetts, New- York, and 
Vermont. These two are samples of the 
circuits traveled by the itinerant ministry 
of the last century. 

The conference of September, 1798, held 
its session in Granville, not far east of 
Pittsfield circuit ; yet Mr. T. being only 
on probation in the conference, thought it 
better to mind his work till superseded by 
another, and was happy when Eev. J. Saw- 
yer met him at Steventown to take his 
place, and give him word that he was ap- 
pointed on Bedding Circuit, Fairfield county, 
Connecticut. He was to be the only preacher 
on a four weeks' circuit. 

Bedding Circuit had a most honorable 
name in our Israel ; its eastern bound was 
Stratford, about fifteen miles west of New- 
Haven. A line of preaching places along 
the seaboard, included Bridgeport, Perquan- 
nock, Weston, Poplar Plains, Norwalk, Stam- 



74 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

ford, Greenwich, Darien ; those inland were 
Dantown, Eedding, Wilton, Stepney, Salem, 
Brookfield, Newtown, Canaan, and Starr's 
Plains. There were twenty-four regular 
appointments in the round, making a jour- 
ney of one hundred and eighty miles. He 
was not satisfied 'that the people on this 
circuit should have regular meetings but 
once in four weeks ; therefore, by the help of 
the Lord, he resolved to take on him double 
work, and give each place preaching once a 
fortnight. This he accomplished, preaching 
twenty-four times each two weeks, and riding 
three hundred and sixty miles in the four 
weeks. The Lord was with him and gave 
the whole circuit prosperity, and in Weston 
a gracious revival. 

The New- York Conference, in the year 
1799, changed the time of the annual ses- 
sion from September back to June, so that 
Mr. T.'s last probationary year was only 
nine months. During that period he faith- 
fully did double work and came off in good 
health. 

On this circuit he found much to do, and 
he did it with all his might ; he loved his 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 75 

work, and the Lord helped him to do it, 
and gave peace and prosperity to all parts 
of his field of labor: "He dwelt as a king 
in the army, as one that comforteth the 
mourners." In closing up his arduous du- 
ties on Redding Circuit, he finished his term 
of probation and became a candidate for 
admission into full connection, and for ordi- 
nation to the office of a deacon. 

A new scene now opened before Mr. T. ; 
he had never seen an "annual conference." 
That of 1799 was in the city of New- York, 
in the John-street church, the very place 
where he had been, eight years before, 
twice arrested with the charge, " Go thou 
and preach the gospel." Now he was one 
of a company of less than forty loving, 
holy, self-sacrificing men ; Eev. Francis As- 
bury at their head as a bishop and as a 
father with his sons. The opening exer- 
cises, conducted by the bishop, seemed to 
thrill through every heart, and consecrate 
the ministry all afresh to the sacred cause 
that had brought them together. 

Mr. T. being naturally timid, trem- 
bled at the ordeal through which he must 



76 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

pass before the conference, in order to his 
admission into full connection and ordi- 
nation as a deacon. Is he a suitable man 
to serve in public ? Is his character with- 
out blemish as a citizen and as -a Christian? 
Is he an ornament in the Church? As a 
minister, is he a workman that needeth not 
to be ashamed? Does he rightly divide the 
word of truth ? Is he able to defend the truth 
against opposers ? Has he a ready elocution ? 
that is, does he speak clearly, so as to be easily 
understood ? and do his spirit and practice 
show forth the essence of the religion of the 
Bible ? Is his preaching blessed with the de- 
monstration of the Spirit? Is there " an unc- 
tion from the Holy One" accompanying his 
sermons and prayers ? Is he a man of a sound 
constitution, robust enough to endure the 
hardships of an itinerant life ? Is he studi- 
ous, especially of the Bible ? Does he rule 
his own house well? And, above all, has he 
fruit of his labors? Are souls awakened 
and converted to God by his ministry ? Such 
were the questions asked concerning him. 
Well might he tremble in view of having 
these questions propounded before such a 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 77 

conscientious and cautious body of men. 
Nevertheless, in view of all these inquiries 
he was cheerfully welcomed into full con- 
nection, and also elected and ordained a 
deacon. He was one of the eight deacons 
ordained at the New- York Conference held 
in John-street church, on Sabbath, June 
23d, 1799, by Bishop Asbury. 

Mr. T. was that year stationed on Pom- 
fret circuit ; this was a two weeks' circuit, 
where he was again alone in his pleasant 
field, among a kind-hearted people. 

His family must now move to the circuit, 
a distance of seventy miles. The places on 
this small circuit were found in three dif- 
ferent States, Connecticut, Massachusetts, 
and Ehode Island: Pomfret, Pilfershire, 
Mansfield, Eastford, Thompson, and Wood- 
stock, in Connecticut ; Gloucester, in Ehode 
Island ; Charlton, Brimfield, South Brimfield, 
Brookfield, Ware, and Monson, in Massachu- 
setts, belonging to this new field of labor. 
In Eastford, and in Brookfield, the Lord 
graciously poured out his Spirit, and gave 
him souls for his hire. In the other places 
on his circuit, although there was good at- 



78 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

tention to the word, yet but little fruit 
appeared. 

Mr. T., with the beginning of the year 
1800, established for himself a new rule, 
which has been faithfully kept through all 
his life, to the time of writing these Becol- 
lections. That rule is, to read the Bible 
through, every year, in course, commencing 
with the first month of the year. When he 
had, after a few years, made himself ac- 
quainted with the living oracles of God, in 
their original tongues, he ever after carefully 
read them through annually, in the Hebrew, 
Chaldee, and Greek. Except that, having, 
in the latter part of his effective service in 
the Church, learned the French language, 
he, for one year, read carefully his Bible 
through only in French. To be familiar 
with the Bible was his glory. 

While Mr. T. w^as yet young and timid, 
one thing happened in Eastford to try his 
courage. A sister died in the Lord; he 
was called in as the minister at her funeral 
in the house where she died. A funeral 
sermon, before a crowded audience, was to 
be preached. Kev. Mr. J., the Congrega- 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUft 79 

tional minister, came ; — he w&s an aged 
man, clothed in a black robe, bands, and a 
large white wig. In the mourners' room 
the big chair was placed in the center, 
tilled by the majestic minister. At the 
door of the room stood Mr. T., on the bot- 
tom of a half-bushel, for, like Zaccheus, he 
was small of stature. In his embarrass- 
ment he threw himself on the Lord's pro- 
mise, sung, prayed, and gave out his text. 

The venerable Aaron in the bis: chair then 
took out pen, ink, and paper, and began to 
write. "Now," thought Mr. T., "my ser- 
mon is being taken down in short-hand ;" 
Mr. J. ? s continual writing confirmed the sus- 
picion, and knowing the hostility of the old 
divine, he concluded that his extempora- 
neous sermon would be in great danger of 
being sadly handled. Trusting in the Lord, 
however, he became so engrossed with his 
subject and his audience that he forgot Mr. 
J. till he was more than half an hour on 
his way in preaching. During this time 
Mr. JVs favorite doctrine of Calvinism was 
shown forth in its true light. But when 
Mr. T. stopped a little to regulate his 



80 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

voice, he turned to look at the big chair, 
and observed that Mr. J. 7 s appearance had 
undergone a change ! He had now ceased 
writing; his countenance showed the deep 
feeling of his mind, and he was so fixed in 
his seat that he seemed as if he would pre- 
fer a low stool to the big chair. As soon 
as the sermon was done, Mr. J. was requested 
to close the service by prayer. He came 
forward and ascended the half-bushel. As 
he had a peculiar gift in prayer, a happy 
end of the services was expected ; but, alas ! 
as he spread his sail, the wind failed him. 
After two or three vain attempts to pray, 
he said " Amen," and immediately left the 
house, and mounted his horse for a speedy 
departure, while the people around him 
said, " What do you think of the sermon ?" 
He answered, " Good doctrine, good doc- 
trine," and rode rapidly away. The dead 
was then buried. 

While Mr. T. stopped at the house of 
a friend an Indian came in. He embraced 
the opportunity of talking to the Indian on 
the subject of his salvation. The Indian 
seemed to get angry in return for the love 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 81 

that was shown him. Mr. T. was not dis- 
couraged at this, but told the Indian that 
he loved him, and wished the salvation of 
his soul. In a few days afterwards that 
same Indian was accidentally shot in the 
back, and died in deep anguish of mind. 
Not far from that time, when, on a Sabbath, 
he had been preaching at Eastford, a squaw, 
or Indian woman, followed him to a house 
about a mile from his preaching place. 
She, being in trouble of mind, said : — " I 
once had the good religion which you 
preach, but, by going in bad company, I 
lost it all, and now I am at the bottom of a 
great mountain, which is all glare ice, and 
I cannot get up it." What a striking met- 
aphor to show the condition of a backslider 
in his trouble ! 

At another time, when Mr. T. was in 
Thompson, on a Saturday evening, three 
Indians came into the house to avoid a 
shower. The owner of the house gave them 
food, and Mr. T. talked to them about 
their souls. The eldest of them, as spokes- 
man, said : — "You know, when you was first 

? See Frontispiece. 
6 



82 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

born, you was a little baby ?" " Yes." 
" Well," said the Indian, " if you ever get 
to heaven, you must be just so." This 
Scripture metaphor from him showed that 
he had before been taught about religion. 

A preacher on the circuit next north of 
Pomfret, saw fit to drop one of his regu- 
lar appointments that was about ten 
miles north of Brimfield. Mr. T. felt it 
his duty to add this place, Brookfield, to 
the field of his labors, and God blessed his 
preaching there. He soon formed a class 
of seven, and left the circuit, in six months, 
with eighteen souls in this class. The same 
class, in a few years after, sent three trav- 
eling preachers into the vineyard of the 
Lord, one of whom is now a good old super- 
annuated minister, named Asa Kent. 

One circumstance worth recording hap- 
pened when the place was first annexed to 
Pomfret circuit. A part of the time the 
preaching was at Mr. Leonard's, in Ware. 
Mrs. Leonard, yet unconverted, was much 
displeased with the change of the preach- 
ers. Rev. J. Nichols, the first preacher, 
was, in her esteem, far preferable to the 



WILLIAM THEOPHILU& 88 

little Mr. T., whose preaching she did not 
like. Of course she thought she could not 
be profited by him ; yet, as on his second 
visit to the place he had told them of his 
design to read the rules of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, and form a class in 
Brook field, which was about two miles from 
Mr. Leonard's, Mrs. Leonard went to the 
meeting. After preaching he showed the 
form of a class meeting by holding one with 
the serious persons, four of whom had found 
Jesus. In meeting the people as a class, 
he did not recognize the person of Mrs. 
Leonard, who was one of the company ; she 
was addressed with the question, " Is your 
soul converted ?" She answered, with some 
indifference, " No." " Well," said he, " bless 
God, you may come in at the eleventh hour." 
This was all that was then said to her. She 
returned home, without it being known that 
the meeting of the evening had produced 
any good effect upon her. Next morning 
her daughter prepared breakfast, while Mrs. 
Leonard was missing. Suddenly an alarm 
was sounded, surprising all the family. It 
was a cry of deep distress in the chamber ; 



84 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

it was the voice of Mrs. Leonard ! There 
she lay on the floor, crying to God for 
mercy. The word was, " O mother ! what 
is the matter?" Her answer was, "O the 
eleventh hour !" The secret was out. Mrs. 
Leonard now called upon the Lord in her 
trouble, and he delivered her from all her 
fears. She became happy in the pardoning 
love of God. 

As the time drew nigh for him to wind 
up the year, and set his face for the next 
conference, in a conversation between him 
and a worthy local preacher of the cir- 
cuit, the local preacher expressed a wish 
for Mr. T/s re-appointment to Pomfret. 
Mr. T. objected, giving as a reason that in 
Thompson, the most important part of the 
circuit, he had not been well received. No 
person had told him so, yet he knew it by 
his own feelings when among the people; his 
peace did not rest there. The good brother 
admitted the fact in the case, but said that 
the prejudice was all gone, and all the cir- 
cuit would now be glad of his re-appoint- 
ment. He then said to the local preacher, 
" You knew the cause, but did not tell me ; 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 85 

and why ? Had you told me, I might ear- 
lier have cured the evil." Said he, "I fear- 
ed it would displease you if I told you." 
"Brother," said Mr. T., "I am still igno- 
rant of my crime ; will you now tell me, that 
I may avoid the evil in future?" "Yes," 
said he. " Your offense was given the first 
day that you preached in Thompson. They 
were, as a society, at that time, low in reli- 
gion. Your first text was, ' Now the just 
shall live by faith ; but if any man draw 
back, my soul shall have no pleasure in 
him. In preaching, your subject was 
so well adapted to their real condition — 
you gave so much plain truth, so well 
applied — that rather than profit by it, they 
took offense at it, and became prejudiced 
against you. In the afternoon of the same 
day your text was, ' Let us go on to perfec- 
tion f and you cannot offend backsliders 
more than to preach i perfection 7 to them!" 
Farewell to Pomfret circuit, who, as a people, 
were very kind to Mr. T. and his family. 



86 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

CONFERENCE AT NEW-YORK DUTCHESS CIRCUIT — DESCRIP- 
TION OF A COLONEL PEARCE REV. F. G AN EDEN — 

ATTACKS UNIVERSALISM IN DOVER RESULT LITCH- 
FIELD ORDINATION AT CONNECTICUT IN 1801— THE 

FIELD OF 1802 — GREAT REVIVAL ON CROTON PART — 

COLONEL GREEN SIMILAR CASES J. CONKLIN REV. S. 

TAGGART ASHGROVE CONFERENCE IN 1803— STATION- 
ED AT NEW-ROCHELLE WITH A. HUNT RETURN WITH 

BISHOP A. INTERVIEW WITH DR. COKE. 

The facts in this chapter all fall within the 
space of the two conference years of 1801 
and 1802. They may not be given accord- 
ing to the exact order of time, hut rather 
as they occur to the recollection of the 
writer. 

He joyfully met his brethren in confer- 
ence, but suddenly left the conference on 
account of a chance to go to his work, 
which, if he could not embrace, he would 
have to lose time in waiting for the next 
passage. Bishop Asbury, therefore, gave 
him, beforehand, notice of his station, also 
of that of his colleague, Eev. Peter Jayne. 

Dutchess had been blessed with the labors 



i 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 87 

of some of our early pioneers in the work ; 
a Garrettson, a Mori arty, an Abbott, a Cor- 
nelius Cook, a Talbot, and others. From 
Pomfret to Dutchess was one hundred and 
twenty miles. 

Dutchess Circuit was bounded north by 
Rhinebeck, Milan, and Pine Plains ; south 
by the highlands opposite West Point ; east- 
ward the circuit extended, in a verv zigzag; 
course, near to Connecticut ; and west to 
the Hudson river. 

Much of the land in this territory, in re- 
gard to soil, is a land flowing with milk and 
honey. Do not misunderstand the subject; 
Dutchess in 1800 was not Dutchess in 1851, 
whether you speak of the county, the circuit, 
or both together. The boundaries of the cir- 
cuit when Mr. T. was there, in his early trav- 
els, have been marked out for the reader, but 
only some of the preaching places are recol- 
lected : as Beekman, Swago, and the Clove, 
(Union Vale.) 

In this field of labor the holy Sabbath 
was not venerated as in New-England, in 
consequence of Quakerism, Nothingism, 
Deism, Universalism, and intemperance ; 



88 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

besides, many of the people were full of cre- 
dulity and superstition. 

Just at the close of the eighteenth cen- 
tury, as the attempt to plant Methodism 
in Poughkeepsie was made, Mr. T. was at 
Thomas Haywood's, one mile south of the 
village. While the family were prepar- 
ing breakfast for about a dozen boarders, 
who came to attend court in the village, a 
portly gentleman, Mr. Pearce, came in, re- 
questing his breakfast among them. He 
was about returning home from court, where 
he had filled the office of foreman of the 
grand jury. He was very facetious, or, as 
you would say, a lively, pleasant man. But 
before sitting down to breakfast, family 
prayer was to be attended. Colonel Pearce 
seemed taken by surprise ; lie became solemn. 
Prayer was offered, and Mr. T. withdrew 
from the company of the boarders in order 
to eat with the family. 

Mr. T. was told that the colonel's heart 
was touched, and that he said he must see 
him before he left the house. He was ac- 
cordingly introduced ; and very respectfully 
said, " I live in a very wicked neighborhood, 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 89 

where we have no gospel preaching; will 
you come and preach to us ?" 

" Where is it, and how far ?" 

" In Pawlingstown, twenty-nine miles 
from this place." 

Mr. T. said to him, " Appoint for me, at 
your house, next Thursday evening." 

This became the introduction of Method- 
ism into that place, which has steadily held 
on from that beginning, resulting in the 
conversion of hundreds of souls. Pawling 
now is named among the honorable sta- 
tions. 

The first year of his labor on this circuit 
his family resided on Tower Hill, a few 
miles north of Dover Hollow. On inquiry, 
Mr. T. found among his people some neg- 
lect of family prayer. He was not very suc- 
cessful in trying to remedy the evil, although 
lie succeeded in some cases. 

One of the most pleasant places on Dutch- 
ess Circuit was the residence of Eev. Free- 
born Garrettson, on the east bank of the 
Hudson, less than three miles below Ehine- 
beck Flats. It seemed a little paradise. 
Religion reigned within, and all nature 



90 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

smiled around ; the voice of praise and 
prayer was familiar in their peaceful taber- 
nacle, and holy and instructive conversation 
animated the domestic circle : all was well, 
for Jesus was there. There was the place 
where Mr. T. ever found great spiritual good 
to his soul. The benevolent Mrs. Garrett- 
son took pleasure in diffusing happiness 
among the residents there, and visitors. 

Among other evils that troubled our Is- 
rael were the Universalists. Their preach- 
ers came sometimes to Dover. One Sabbath 
morning, as he left home to preach in Dover, 
he was told that Mr. M., the Universalist 
preacher, would hear him, and preach after 
him to the same hearers in the same place. 
His afternoon appointment rendered it im- 
possible for him to stay and hear Mr. M. ; 
but a good congregation being present, Mr. 
T. made a direct attack on Universalism, 
and that in such a sermon as he could never 
before or since equal. God so helped him 
that Mr. M. did not make any effort against 
the sermon that tore away his doctrine. 

Next day he said, in Dover, that he had 
heard that the Methodist conference had set 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 91 

apart fourteen of their preachers on purpose 
to thrash the Universalists, and no doubt 
this was one of them. 

" That is not true/ 7 said one. 

" Well," said the Universalis t preacher, 
14 whether it is true or not, he has done his 
work well." 

Years passed by before the voice of a 
Universalist preacher was again heard in 
Dover. The whole number of Methodists 
in the year 1801 consisted of ten members, 
one of whom was an African. To say the 
truth of these, their religion was low. Their 
place of public preaching was a red meeting- 
house, belonging to some other denomina- 
tion ; the pulpit was claimed and held by a 
Baptist elder, except that a Methodist 
preacher might preach in that place one 
sermon only in a fortnight. 

From this small beginning of good things 
in Amenia, a gradual growth of evangelical 
religion has continued. Two different ses- 
sions of the New- York Annual Conference 
have been held there, one in 1808 and one 
in 1813. The noble seminary, and the new 
church, and their general prosperity, show 



92 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

that the Lord began and has greatly pros- 
pered Zion there. 

Notwithstanding his devotion to the good 
work in Amenia, Mr. T. was severely cen- 
sured by some, because his presiding elder 
drew him out of the revival, and for the last 
quarter of the year sent him to Litchfield 
Circuit. But he patiently bore a blame that 
did not belong to him. 

The first four years of Mr. TVs service as 
a traveling preacher were completed on his 
return to the conference that was held in 
New- York, June 16th, 1801. According to 
the rule, he became a candidate for the 
order of an elder in the Church of God, and 
was one of the eight who were ordained 
elders, in Duane-street church, on Sabbath, 
June 21st, 1801, by Eev. Richard Whatcoat, 
one of the bishops of the Methodist Episco- 
pal Church in the United States of America. 

A specimen of the burdens sustained by 
some of the old disciples in the itinerant 
work, is seen by a view of two large circuits in 
the pastoral charge of one man. Mr. T. was, 
for one year, that man. Mr. T., H. Clark, G. 
Dougherty, and F. Ward, were the preachers. 



Tlimr 



WILLIAM THEOPIIILUS. 93 



Their field of labor included all the region 
between Pawlingstown, east of Dutchess, 
and southerly to Long Island Sound. The 
names of the preaching places were as fol- 
lows : — 

King's Bridge, Morrisania, Westchester, 
Eastchester. Yonkers, New-Rochelle, Mamar- 
oneck, Rye, Sawpits, (Port Chester,) Byram, 
King-street, Scarsdale, White Plains, Green- 
burg, Hatfields, Tarry town, North Castle, 
New-Castle, Bedford, Bedford New-Purchase, 
Somerstown, Salem, Carmeltown, Bed Mills, 
Franklin, Quaker Hills, Pawlingstown, 
Stony-street, Crumponds, Peekskill Moun- 
tains, Peekskill, Croton or Collaberg, and 
some more not recollected. 

To visit these places in order, was a tour 
of eight weeks ; six rounds of visits com- 
pleted the year. What preacher was able 
to perform all the pastoral duties of such a 
field? 

In a part of Croton Circuit God was 
pleased to pour out his Spirit copiously. 
The greatest revival hitherto known in all 
this extensive field, began at Bed Mills, and 
spread to Crumponds and the northern part 



94 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

of Somerstown ; its effects were very great 
in banishing the frolics of the wicked, im- 
proving the morals of the community, and dif- 
fusing abroad the knowledge of evangelical 
religion. When Mr. T. had,, on any one 
visit among them, so worn himself down as 
to be unable for the time to preach, sing, 
or pray vocally, he would mount his pony 
and go for a few days to other appointments, 
and again return to this field of attraction, 
with his lungs and strength recruited for 
the work. Thus he labored while the re- 
vival continued. 

Truly he was rejoiced at seeing such bless- 
ings on his labors in helping to save poor 
sinners, and in seeing so many willing, in 
the day of the power of God. 

One event of the above-mentioned revival 
was told Mr. T. by undoubted authority. 
Colonel B. GL, an inn-keeper in the north 
part of Somers, was awakened to a sense of 
his sins ; and while under conviction he said 
to his son-in-law, who was a pious Methodist 
and who was a member of the State legisla- 
ture, that the miseries of the damned were so 
great that no tongue could fully describe 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 95 

them ; " I know by experience something 
of that torment. In the time of the Kevo- 
lutionary war/' said he, " I stepped between 
some that were fighting. I was struck 
down, taken up for dead, and laid on some 
boards in a free circulation of air, by which 
my lungs were inflated and I came to, and 
again breathed freely. While I lay for 
dead, my soul seemed to leave the body, and 
I was more miserable than tongue can tell. 
Suddenly I was relieved from the anguish of 
my spirit and came to life in the body." 

The fact that the soul is distinct from 
the body, is established by the Scriptural 
statement respecting the ruler's daugh- 
ter, in St. Luke, chapter viii, 55, " Her 
spirit came again." A remarkable account 
of a similar fact is published of Eev. Mr. 
Tenant, in New-Jersey. He died, as was 
supposed, but his funeral assembly was pre- 
vailed on to defer his interment till the 
physician had made experiments on the 
body. He revived, and spent some years 
after in preaching. Mr. Tenant gave an 
account of what he saw and enjoyed while 
absent from the body. Another account 



96 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

has been recorded in the old Arminian Ma- 
gazine, of Samson Staniforth, who, when a 
boy, was drowned and afterwards brought 
to life. He gave an account of his leaving 
the body, and seeing the glories of heaven. 
It seemed to him that an angel took his 
soul in keeping till, by the reanimation of 
his body, his soul returned to it, and he 
grew up and became a gospel minister. 

A short sketch of a man in Trenton, who 
was personally known to Mr. T., who had the 
statement from this man's own mouth, con- 
tains matter analogous to the foregoing 
facts. J. A., a member of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church while Mr. T. was in charge 
of that station, in 1826-7, had many years 
belonged to the society. He told Mr. T. 
that he was discouraged, and intended to 
give up family and private prayer, and class- 
meeting. He had been twenty-three years 
in a backslidden state, and thought it useless 
to try to recover his peace ; and that during 
this state of destitution or loss of religion, a 
few years back, he had been by sickness 
brought down to death, and his soul had 
seemed to leave the body, while weeping 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 97 

friends surrounded his ted ; nor could words 
tell how, when he had ceased to breathe, his 
soul plunged down, down, into the awful 
scene of horrors. He then cried out, in his 
agony, " Is this hell ?" He stated that he 
was sensible of his deliverance, and once 
more found himself breathing in the body. 

It may be interesting to add, that in con- 
sequence of the faithful attentions of the 
preacher to the soul of this dear brother, 
J. A. was soon restored to divine favor, and 
he once more enjoyed pardon and peace. 

Pawlingstown, first mentioned as one of 
the preaching places on Dutchess Circuit, 
had now become one of the northern ap- 
pointments of Croton Circuit, and a •Sabbath 
morning preaching place. The house of our 
worthy brother, Colonel Pearce, the former 
foreman of the grand-jury at Poughkeepsie, 
was the place of their religious assemblies ; 
and as Mr. T. was there before the hour of 
divine service one Sabbath morning, and a 
few of the earliest attendants began to come 
in, among them an interesting youth, not 
yet twenty-one years of age, was standing 
near the door : he was serious : his clothes 



98 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

plain and decent. Mr. T. "looked on him 
and loved him," and said to him, "Have 
you come here to attend meeting ?" 

" Yes." 

" Do you know anything about religion ?" 

" I think I do." 

" Has the Lord converted your soul ?" 

« Yes." 

"When and how?" 

" Do you recollect that once you came 
over among the Fishkill mountains, to the 
house of Joseph Irish, a little log-house, and 
preached to a congregation of six persons ?" 

" Yes ; and I thought I should not preach 
there again." 

" WeH, I was one of the six that heard you 
there, and under that sermon God awakened 
my soul, and I have since been converted." 

That young man was John Concklin, who 
for many years was known as an official 
member of our congregation and Church in 
Eighteenth-street, New- York. Some few 
years ago the Christian Advocate recorded 
his peaceful and happy death. 

Some time in the year 1802, Eev. S. 
Taggart, a Calvinistic minister, in Colerain, 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 99 

Massachusetts, wrote a pamphlet against 
the doctrine, discipline, and ministry of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. T., 
in a pamphlet of one hundred and twenty 
pages, gave a reply; which, when Mr. Tag- 
gart read, he made the following verbal re- 
joinder : — " I believe I had better have let 
the Methodists alone !" This was an ac- 
knowledgment that he was fairly beaten. 

During the session of 1802, the confer- 
ence was invited to hold the next annual 
session at Ash Grove, a settlement about 
forty-five miles north-east from Troy. The 
Methodists of that place were mostly Irish 
farmers, the spiritual children of Rev. John 
Wesley. They had built a Methodist meet- 
ing-house in that grove, and were desirous 
that it should be honored with the presence 
of a conference, who might thereby have a 
taste of Irish hospitality. The invitation 
was accepted; conference would meet in 
Ash Grove in 1803. The year rolled round, 
and gave Mr. T. one hundred and fifty miles' 
ride, through clouds of dust and under a 
summer's sun, to be there on the first of July. 

An Irish farmer's dwelling, not their 



100 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

temple, was the conference room ; the meet- 
ing-house was the place for daily preaching 
at 12 o'clock. Old boards seated the con- 
ference room ; two plain chairs accommodated 
the bishops, near the window ; - a space of six- 
teen by eighteen feet contained the whole. 

The conference having pleasantly closed, 
Mr. T. accompanied good Bishop Asbury 
from Ash Grove to the place of his own resi- 
dence in Yonkers. Eev. Aaron Hunt was 
his colleague on the New-Bochelle Circuit. 

In the fall of this year, Mr. T. rode down 
to the city of New-York, and he was there 
blest with a delightful interview with that 
holy man, Eev. Thomas Coke, LL. D., a true 
son of Wesley, and first bishop of the Metho- 
dist Episcopal Church, who had arrived from 
England in order to attend the General 
Conference, which was to assemble in Balti- 
more in the next ensuing May. His pre- 
sence, his conversation and spirit, were 
refreshing to the soul of Mr. T. ; it was an 
hour very profitably enjoyed, and will not 
soon be forgotten. Such are the " salt of 
the earth." 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 101 



CHAPTER IX. 

CONFERENCE OF 1804 CONVERSATION ABOUT HOLINESS — 

HE IS APPOINTED PRESIDING ELDER OF NEW-YORK DIS- 
TRICT CONFERENCE OF 1805 AT ASH GROVE — PRESIDING 

ELDER GOV. CORTLANDT AND HIS GROVE FOR CAMP- 
MEETING 1. SMEAD CONFERENCE OF 1806, NEW-YORK 

PRESIDING ELDER FAMILY AFFLICTION DEATH OF 

WIFE — CONFERENCE OF 1807, COEYMANS — STATIONED 

IN MIDDLETOWN CONFERENCE OF 1808, AMENLA. — 

GENERAL CONFERENCE, BALTIMORE — DELEGATION INSTI- 
TUTED, 1803. 

The annual conference of the year 1804 
eame on, in John-street church, in New- 
York, on the twelfth of June. During this 
session various exciting questions were dis- 
cussed, yet the most interesting subject of 
the whole was the doctrine of holiness. 

This conference was a very profitable one 
to the membership of that body ; many of 
them seemed newly baptized for their work. 
Their business closed by reading off the ap- 
pointments. But who among them all was 
so astonished as Mr. T. ? He found himself 
suddenly transformed into a presiding elder 
of New- York district. He trembled for the 
consequences, yet put his trust in the Lord, 



102 WILLIAM THEOPI1ILUS. 

and the Lord was with him. New-York 
district was as important a field as the 
whole traveling connection afforded. 

During this year the first camp-meeting 
was held east of the Hudson Eiver. Many 
interesting and important events occurred 
in this field of labor, but as the present 
volume is designed to interest the young, 
these events will not be narrated in de- 
tail. 

Indeed, through the remainder of this 
sketch the writer proposes to give only the 
most interesting anecdotes and remarkable 
facts that occurred in the history of Mr. T. 

It may be proper to give a sketch of the 
New- York District after Mr. T. had traveled 
it the first year, as a presiding elder. But a 
few years before found its northern bound- 
ary extending as far as Canada, beyond the 
St. Lawrence, and its southern line being 
on the Atlantic Ocean, Connecticut Eiver 
bounding it on the east, and Hudson Eiver 
on the west. 

It included New-York, Brooklyn, Long 
Island, New-Eochelle, Croton, Dutchess, 
Ehinebeck, and Eedding circuits. 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 103 

Tn the course of the year 1805 all parts 
of the district seemed to share more or less 
in the revival of the work of God. The 
preachers " did not labor in vain, nor spend 
their strength for naught." The valiant 
men of Israel were strong in the Lord, and 
successfully "turned the battle to the gate," 
for God was with them. They all labored 
harmoniously in the good cause, and their 
heavenly Father gave them favor in the 
eyes of the people, and health in all their 
borders. 

The New- York Conference of 1805 was 
again appointed for Ash Grove, on the twelfth 
of June. Both of the venerable bishops, 
Asbury and Whatcoat, were w T ith them ; 
Bishop Whatcoat for the last time, for on 
the sixth of July, 1806, he entered into 
glory. 

Stillwater, famous for the capture of 
Burgoyne, was now to be visited in a camp- 
meeting, by those excellent men on their 
way to the conference; and Mr. T. had the 
honor and pleasure of conducting them 
from thence to Ash Grove, a journey of 
nearlv fifty miles. 



104 WILLIAM THEQPHILU& 

In passing through Kinderhook it was 
dinner time : yet on coming near the hotel 
it was found to contain music and dancing. 
(It was on a holiday.) Some of the preachers 
would not go in ; but the venerable bishops, 
with their conductor, drove up to the door 
and went in, giving the necessary orders. 
At the sight of those holy men the wicked 
tied, and the inn was restored to order. 
They ate, they drank, they paid, they prayed, 
and took leave, while the good landlady's 
heart overflowed with thanksgiving for the 
Messing put upon her house. 

The second Ash Grove conference was not 
in all things like the first ; they were not 
crowded into the farmer's parlor, but as- 
sembled in the meeting-house, for their 
numbers had increased and they required 
more room. 

The regular business of this conference 
proceeded in peace, facility, and love ; the 
appointments were read off, and then every 
man to his work, as usual, Mr. T. to his 
district. The site for the next camp-meet- 
ing was sought for nearer to the Hudson 
River, to accommodate those who would 



WILLIAM THEOPHILU^. 107 

come to it by water. There was found a 
delightful grove in Croton, near the stream 
that since has become famous as that which 
supplies the great city of New- York. Mr. 
T. went to the owner of this grove, Governor 
Van Cortlandt, who was a disciple of Jesus, 
and gave him a cordial reception in the 
name of the Lord, and cheerfully gave 
liberty to hold a camp-meeting there. And 
from that beginning one was held there an- 
nually for many years. 

When preaching was to take place, the 
old governor's coach was drawn near the 
stand, and the horses taken from before it, 
and there he would sit with the most solemn 
devotion, worshiping in his chariot, like the 
Ethiopian, while Philip " preached unto him 
Jesus." Truly "then were the days of un- 
leavened bread ; the unleavened bread of 
sincerity and truth." Before taking leave 
of Croton, one more circumstance may be 
worth notice. 

It was necessary to see beforehand the 
plat for the circle of tents and place for the 
stand. Mr. T., with two traveling preachers, 
a local preacher, and a class-leader, went to 



108 WILLIAM THE0PHILUS. 

the grove. They there took counsel and 
were uniform in their views ; saying, " There 
is the place for the circle of tents, and here 
is the place for the stand." Then they fell 
on their knees and earnestly cried unto the 
Lord, that he would bless and prosper the 
undertaking. An answer came immedi- 
ately. The Holy Spirit then and there gave 
them a baptism. They sprang from their 
knees shouting glory, and each one ran to 
find a suitable stone to place on the spot 
where God had answered by fire, indicating 
that in " that place God would give peace." 
Truly this was not fanciful nor enthusiastic, 
but it was eminently prophetic. The most 
remarkable operations of the Holy Ghost 
have been known on that very spot. Sin- 
ners have there been overwhelmed and pros- 
trated, and quickly pardoned, and believers 
in a similar manner sanctified ; and no part 
of the district more remarkably witnessed 
those effusions of the Holy Spirit than the 
tents of Brooklyn. 

Late in this year an occurrence took place 
in Brooklyn that should not be forgotten. 
Mr. T. came there to serve them as their 



WILLIAM THEOPHILTO. 109 

presiding elder; Eev. Ezekiel Cooper was 
their preacher. A local preacher in that 
charge, named Ithiel Smead, was sick. 
Brother Cooper boarded with old brother 
Harper, the grandsire of the New- York pub- 
lishers. Early on a pleasant autumn morn- 
ing Ithiel Smead came in to father Harper's, 
pale and death-like, walking very slowly. 

The most natural inquiry was, " Brother 
Smead, what is the matter with you ?" 

" I have the dysentery.'' 

" Can no medicine remove your com- 
plaint?" 

" No ; my disease is the worst kind of 
dysentery, and if I am not soon relieved I 
shall die." 

Just then was the family notice, "Break- 
fast is ready:" the persons present were 
brother Harper and wife, brothers Cooper 
and Smead, and the presiding elder. All 
bowed in family prayer. Smead's case was 
particularly mentioned in prayer, and an 
extra measure of divine influence was im- 
mediately felt ; prayer ended; Smead hastily 
departed. 

That evening quarterly conference was 



110 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

in the meeting-house. Behold, Sniead was 
there! Mr. T., surprised, said, "Brother 
Smead, I did not expect to see you here." 

He said, in reply, " If you had not seen 
me there you would not have seen me here." 
Three months after he explained those words 
by saying, " I was healed from that hour." 

The conference of 1806 was held in New r - 
York, on the 16th of May ; and when the 
appointments were read off Mr. T. was a 
third year presiding elder of New- York Dis- 
trict. 

Such were the dispensations of our hea- 
venly Father towards him in the course of 
that year, that he was laid by from his 
regular work during the first, second, and 
third quarters of that year. On account of 
family affliction, the wife of his youth, at 
thirty-three years of age, was seized early 
in that year with a pulmonary consumption, 
which ended in her death, on the 18th day 
of February, 1807. 

After this afflicting event, Mr. T. had the 
last quarter of the year in which to wind up 
the affairs of the district, which he foresaw 
must soon be in the hands of another. The 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. Ill 

same disease which had bereaved him of his 
companion seemed now to be making in- 
roads upon his own lungs. 

The conference of 1807 was held at Coey- 
man's Patent. At that conference he was 
read off, by Bishop Asbury, for a station in 
the city of Middletown, in Connecticut. 
The climate of that place was so healthy 
that in the course of that year, by the di- 
vine blessing, he recovered his usual sound- 
ness of health. Kecovered and rescued, he 
gave all the glory to God. 

Middletown hitherto had not been a sta- 
tion, but had been served in rotation by the 
preachers of Middletown Circuit. He was 
the first stationed preacher for the city of 
Middletown ; and that city was the place 
where for the first time he had been ap- 
pointed to a station ; ten years he had been 
a real traveling preacher. 

In this station he regularly preached 
three times every Sabbath, and on a few of 
the week evenings in neighboring places, as 
the door was opened for him ; nor was his 
labor in vain among that people, and while 
there his soul prospered well. 



112 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

The New- York Annual Conference for the 
year 1808 was held in Amenia, on the sixth 
of April; the General Conference was to 
meet in May, at Baltimore. 

From the annual conference he was sta- 
tioned in New- York, and on his return from 
Baltimore, early in June, he entered on the 
duties 'of his station. John-street, Forsyth- 
sfcreet, Two-mile Stone, Greenwich, and 
Duane-street congregations were in his 
charge. His colleagues were F. Ward, L. 
Andrus, and P. Peck. The whole member- 
ship, colored and white, were 1,754. One 
regular board of trustees were the chief au- 
thority of the Church for all temporal mat- 
ters and the support of the preachers. 

The General Conference of 1808 was the 
last real General Conference of the Method- 
ist Episcopal Church. From that time the 
General Conference became a delegated 
body. Seven annual conferences were all 
that then made up the traveling connection 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church, namely, 
Western Conference, South Carolina, Vir- 
ginia, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New- York, 
and New-England Conferences. 



WILLIAM TIIEOPIIILUS. 113 

Another bishop was now wanted, and 
much prayer was sent up to heaven, that 
God would show the right man. On Sab- 
bath, the day before the election, the morn- 
ing appointment in Light-street fell to the 
Rev. W. M'Kendree, a man fifty years of 
age. He was a pioneer of the West, in 
Methodism, who knew how to carry his tent 
and provisions on his horse, and encamp for 
the night in the woods, or, as the prophet 
Ezekiel says, -" sleep in the woods." That 
Sabbath his text was Jer. viii, 22, " The 
balm of Gilead." The Holy Ghost fell on 
them that heard : there was a great shout ; 
the noise was heard afar off. " That ser- 
mon," said Bishop Asbury, " fixed his elec- 
tion." But as this is not the place for a 
history of that General Conference, let us 
return and take a view of Mr. T. at his 
work in New- York. 

A good revival had been sometime in pro- 
gress among the New- York Methodists. 
Mr. T. was thus allowed to enter into other 
men's labors ; and what could delight him 
more than to enter a field where sinners 
were con tin ually inquiring the way to heaven ? 



114 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 



CHAPTER X. 

CONFERENCE OF 1809 — STATIONED IN NEW-YORK — TWO NEW 

CHURCHES — ZION STILL PROSPERS CONFERENCE OF 1810 

— STATIONED IN BROOKLYN — A NEW CHURCH — CONFER- 
ENCE OF 1811 — AGAIN IN BROOKLYN GENERAL CON- 
FERENCE OF 1812, NEW-YORK — NEW-YORK CONFERENCE, 

JUNE 4, 1812 — JAMAICA CIRCUIT — WAR TROUBLES NO 

REVIVAL — CONFERENCE OF 1813 NEW-ROCHELLE — CON- 
FERENCE OF 1814 — NEW-ROCHELLE — CONFERENCE OF 1815 

NEW-YORK — CONFERENCE OF 1816 — REBUILDING OF 

JOHN-STREET 1817, CONFERENCE AT MIDDLEBURY — SU- 
PERNUMERARY 1818, CONFERENCE IN NEW-YORK — SCHE- 
NECTADY NEW-HAVEN TRANSFERRED TO PHILADEL- 
PHIA CONFERENCE — RETURN TO NEW-YORK CONFERENCE. 

This chapter will sketch the life of Mr. T. 
for twenty-three successive years. 

The New-York Conference for the year 
1809 was held in John-street, in the month 
of May. He was again stationed in New- 
York, in the same pastoral charge as in the 
preceding year; yet he was called to enter 
on extra work under the direction of the 
trustees ; and never did a servant work 
more cheerfully, and that too with good 
success. The congregation in Forsy th-street 
was then too large for the meeting-house, 



WILLIAM THEOPHILIT& 115 

and their plan to relieve it was to build a 
church in Allen-street. A stone house, 
seventy by fifty-five feet, was thought neces- 
sary for the convenience in view. Ten 
thousand dollars was the estimated cost, and 
this was to be raised by subscription ; a man 
suitable for the weighty undertaking was 
needed, and who must he be ? 

Mr. T., who was ever ready to hew wood 
and draw water for the house of God, was 
the volunteer in this service. The subscrip- 
tion was so prosperous that the trustees 
found it very necessary for the good of the 
Church to build a house in Bedford-street, 
in the neighborhood commonly known by the 
name of Greenwich. A frame church was 
accordingly built there at the same time. 
The history of these two houses of worship is 
too well known to need any further account 
in these Eecollections. The conversion of 
hundreds upon hundreds of souls in those 
places proclaim the doings of the Lord, as 
upon the house-top. 

The church in Allen-street proved very 
little relief to the congregation in Forsyth- 
street ; yet in the neighborhood of the new 



116 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

church " stones" enough were found to raise 
up children unto Abraham ; the house was 
soon well filled. In this neighborhood were 
then the rope-walks, slaughter-houses, cart- 
men's stables, &c, of the city. 

The New- York Conference of 1810 was 
held on the 20th of May, in Pittsfield, in 
Massachusetts. Bishop M'Kendree presided. 
Bishop Asbury was present. 

Mr. T. was that year stationed in Brook- 
lyn. The house of worship was too small, 
and so low that it was known by the humble 
name of the " cellar kitchen." It was in 
Sands-street. This building, which was 
wood, originally forty by thirty feet, had 
been lengthened twenty feet, making it 
sixty feet long and thirty wide. The trus- 
tees had a plan to widen it, at the estimated 
cost of $1,400. 

" If you do this," said Mr. T., " it will be 
only " the cellar kitchen" still. I had 
rather raise $3,000 to rebuild than $1,400 
to widen this old one." 

The richest man among them exclaimed, 
" I don't know where $3,000 is to come 
from." 



WILLIAM TIIEOPHILt>. 117 

" Put me in commission," said Mr. T., 
" and I will soon show you where." 

The challenge was accepted : a frame 
house, seventy by forty-five feet, was built. 
The first year in Brooklyn closed most de- 
lightfully with Mr. T. and his charge. 

On the 20th of May, 1811, the conference 
met again in John-street. The business 
proceeded as usual, under the parental 
presidency of good Bishop Asbury, and at 
the conclusion Mr. T. was stationed for an- 
other year in Brooklyn. 

Baltimore had hitherto been considered 
the only suitable place for a General Con- 
ference ; so that when, in 1808, Mr. T. moved 
for the next meeting of that body in New- 
York in 1812, his opposers were so sure of 
voting him down that they did not deign to 
honor him with an opposing argument ; but 
when the vote was taken, how surprised and 
vexed were they to find themselves a mi- 
nority ! New- York was chosen ; and good 
Jesse Lee, to punish the majority for their 
success, obtained a majority to vote it to 
begin on the first of May, as the most diffi- 
cult time in the year, it being the great 



118 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

moving day. New-York, however, provided 
against that; on the first day of May she 
was all prepared to accommodate every 
member of the General Conference. 

The New-York Conference of 1812 met at 
Albany, on the 4th of June. Bishop As- 
bury presided. From that conference Mr- 
T. was stationed on Jamaica Circuit, on 
Long Island ; Theodosius Clark was his 
colleague. They were well united in the 
work. The circuit included Jamaica, Bock- 
away, Par-Eockaway, Hempstead, Cow Har- 
bor, Oyster Bay, Hempstead Harbor, Searing- 
town, Norwich, Jerusalem, Babylon, Hunt- 
ington, South Hempstead, and Newtown. 
Three years before, one circuit included the 
whole island, except the station of Brooklyn. 

Long Island had experienced great trou- 
bles in the Eevolutionary War. Here were 
some who had seen American blood flow in 
defense of liberty. Yet the policy of the 
British who encamped among them had 
charmed many with a sense of the value of 
English gold, in ready payment for the pro- 
duce of their fields. Consequently many of 
them were displeased with our rulers on ac- 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 119 

count of the war, and, like true Americans, 
they spake as they thought ; while their 
faithful preachers gave the Bible precept, 
" Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of 
thy people." Of course the preachers were 
known as friendly to the government, for 
which offense a cry was raised against them, 
saying, " We have a couple of war-hawks on 
our circuit." And with their best efforts 
they could not secure a revival of religion. 
" They were for peace ;" but the war of 
words, and words against Congress, and all 
who favored the administration, continued 
to be kept up, notwithstanding all the efforts 
of these faithful preachers for their good. 
Mr. T. was Avilling to leave the island after 
one year, where his labor was not likely to 
profit the people. 

The next annual conference was held at 
Amenia, on the 20th of May, 1813, and his 
next station was on Xew-Eochelle Circuit, 
as colleague to Eev. Wm, Phoebus. Here 
he was amongst old friends, for he had 
traveled this circuit some years before, and 
now he felt at home again. 

The annual conference of 1814 was held 



120 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

in New- York, on the 5th of May, at the end 
of which Mr. T. was sent again to New-Bo- 
chelle, with Eev. J. Lyon as his colleague. 
In 1815, May 12th, Mr. T. proceeded to 
Albany, where the session of the conference 
was held. The venerable and beloved Bishop 
Asbury was at this conference, but unable 
to perform his usual service. This was his 
last appearance in the New- York Conference, 
for in March following he entered into his 
rest above. During the session of that con- 
ference he sent for Mr. T. to come to his 
lodgings, where a last and most affectionate 
interview took place. It was as a final 
benediction of a father to a beloved son ; a 
scene never to be forgotten. Bishop M'Ken- 
dree presided, and the affairs of the confer- 
ence came to a close ; and on the reading 
off the appointments, Mr. T. was surprised 
to hear his name among the preachers sta- 
tioned in New- York. He thought that this 
must be a mistake ; but no, it was the last 
token of Bishop Asbury's affection for him, 
and a testimony of his unshaken confidence 
in him. Bishop Asbury made that appoint- 
ment, while it is presumed that the rest 



WILLIAM TIIEOPHILU£. 121 

were made by Bishop M'Kendree and the 
presiding elders ; for Bishop Asbury was, in 
fact, too feeble to make out the stations for 
a conference. Never, no never, will Mr. T. 
forget to love, in a peculiar manner, that 
holy, heavenly man, that apostle of Ameri- 
can Methodism, who fell triumphant in the 
midst of his brethren — Francis Asbury. 

Under Eev. W. Phoebus, as preacher in 
charge, with Revs. E. Washburn, M. Richard- 
son, and A. Scholefield, a delightful year 
was spent. 

June 1st, 1816, witnessed the opening of 
the conference in New- York, after the close 
of the General Conference in Baltimore. 
Rev. R. R. Roberts, who had then and there 
been constituted a bishop of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, was welcomed as presi- 
dent and bishop in the New- York Conference 
of 1816 ; and truly the Lord was with him. 

At the close of the conference New- York 
station was thus supplied: D. Ostrander, 
Mr. T., E. Washburn, L. Andrus, A. Schole- 
field. These brethren labored together in 
love. The Church prospered and yielded a 
goodly increase, and before the conference 



122 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

year was finished a new work began, in 
erecting a new and enlarged church on the 
site of old John-street temple. 

The annual conference for 1817 was held 
at Middlebury, Vermont, June 3d. That 
conference Mr. T. did not attend. This is 
the only instance of his absence from his 
annual conference since he became a mem- 
ber of the traveling connection in 1799. 
At the close of that conference he was read 
off for the station of Poughkeepsie. But a 
bodily injury, under which he had fallen, 
disabled him for effective service that year ; 
and while the place was supplied by the 
preachers on Dutchess Circuit he remained 
in the city of New-York, employing his time 
as best he could for the promotion of Zion's 
cause in that city. 

The conference of 1818 was held in the 
city of New-York, from which he was read 
off for the city of Schenectady. Such were 
the affairs of his family then that they re- 
sided in New- York. He endeavored faith- 
fully to fulfill the duties of his station, while 
for two years he could only see his family as 
a visitor, or they in turn visit him. 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 123 

The membership in Schenectady consisted 
in all of fifty-four persons. God crowned 
his faithful efforts with an outpouring of the 
Holy Spirit, and at the next conference, at 
Troy, he gave their numbers one hundred 
and twenty-eight. He was reappointed to 
the same station, and reported one hundred 
and ninety members ; one hundred and 
thirty-six net gain in two years. 

What a rich harvest from so small a field ! 
Never will he forget " the grace of God be- 
stowed on the Church M in those two years in 
Schenectady. 

In the conference of 1818 Bishop George 
presided. In the conference at Troy, in 
1819, Bishop Roberts presided. In 1820, 
in New- York, Bishop George presided, and 
Mr. T. was stationed in New-Haven. 

Twenty-two years had passed by since 
Mr. T. was known as a local preacher in 
that city, in the infancy of Methodism there. 
The three years that he had been presiding 
elder of New-York District he dwelt in New- 
Haven, which had for a few years been a 
regular station, and sustained their preacher : 
but of late a new scheme had been planned 



124 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

which was calculated to give Methodism 
there more notoriety. The place of worship 
was too small for our people, and withal 
very inferior as a church. It was a wooden 
house, of forty by thirty feet, that had not 
known lath or lime. It stood lower than 
the " Brooklyn cellar kitchen." 

On his arrival there, Mr. T. learned that 
a late public meeting had assigned, by vote, 
to the Methodist Episcopal Church in that 
city, a most eligible site on the public square, 
commonly called " New-Haven Green," for 
the erection of a house of worship, specify- 
ing to an inch the north angle of the build- 
ing, leaving only one difficulty for the poor 
Methodists ; that was, about ten thousand 
dollars cash with which to build. Could 
their faith remove this mountain ? It was 
generally thought not. Mr. T., however, 
had, in his long absence from them, gained 
some addition to his faith, as well as know- 
ledge. This was a boon much needed in 
such an emergency. Of course he made 
use of it ; and sure enough, a brick 
church, eighty feet by sixty-eight, was the 
result. 



WILLIAM THEOPIIILUS. 125 

The corner-stone was laid on the 15th of 
May, 1821. It was nearly all under cover 
when, on the 3d of September, it was pros- 
trated by a tremendous gale; yet by the 
24th of November it was again all in- 
closed; and on the 23d of May, 1822, it 
was dedicated unto Him who had blessed 
that persevering Church with such pros- 
perity. 

That- house has been the center of many 
glorious revivals of religion ; and of how 
many will it be said, before the great tri- 
bunal, " this and that man were born 
there V* 

It may be proper to say, that the prostra- 
tion of the New-Haven meeting-house was a 
damage of three thousand dollars or more, 
nor had the Church the funds to repair this 
loss. Mr. T. was therefore sent abroad for 
relief of his afflicted station. This service 
engrossed the most of the time from Sep- 
tember 10th, 1821, to the following spring. 
His first course was north and east, taking 
the principal places in his way, as far as 
Boston and Lynn, and visiting the island of 
Nantucket ; then returning to New-Haven, 



126 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

he visited New- York and Brooklyn ; pro- 
ceeding south, he visited Philadelphia, Wil- 
mington, Baltimore, Annapolis, Washington, 
and the Congress, with Georgetown and 
Alexandria, and, as the fruit of his labors, 
paid into the hands of the treasurer of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church in New-Haven, 
clear of all expenses, three thousand two 
hundred dollars. This amount, with about 
one thousand dollars extra raised in New- 
Haven towards retrieving the loss, proved 
a gain to his charge of about one thousand 
dollars. 

This excursion gave him the opportunity 
of preaching " whithersoever he went," even 
in the House of Bepresentatives, before an 
American Congress, where he, in two ser- 
mons, contradicted the doctrine of a Unita- 
rian chaplain. Mr. Monroe was then presi- 
dent, and John Q. Adams, secretary of state; 
and he witnessed the pecuniary liberality 
of these venerable and worthy men. 

It was Mr. T.'s preaching in Philadelphia 
that induced the official men of St. George's 
charge to apply for him as their preacher 
for the ensuing year. 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 127 

At the New- York Conference of 1822 lie 
was transferred to Philadelphia Conference, 
where he labored nine years, as follows : two 
years in St. George's charge, in Philadel- 
phia ; two years in Newark, New-Jersey ; 
two years in Trenton, New-Jersey ; and 
three years as presiding elder, on Philadel- 
phia district. 



128 WILLIAM TIIEOPIIILUS. 



CHAPTER XL 

POUGHKEEPSIE STATION — NEW-HAVEN STATION — NEWBURG 

CIRCUIT HUDSON STATION — CHOLERA — FLUSHING — 

WILLIAMSBURG NORWALK WOODBURY REVIVAL 

MILAN CIRCUIT DUTCHESS CIRCUIT — SUPERANNUATED 

— HIS DOMESTIC JOYS ENDED IN DEATH OP HIS WIFE. 

In 1831 Mr. T. was retransferred to the New- 
York Conference and stationed at Pough- 
keepsie. In this station he served two 
years. While among this peaceable, loving, 
f erven fc people he enjoyed the blessings of 
his station so much the more in consequence 
of some trials that he had encountered while 
abroad. Poughkeepsie was to him a most 
delightful field of labor. The people listened 
with ardent attention to the gospel of their 
salvation, and to many precious souls " faith 
came by hearing." 

While Zion prospered, and her cords were 
lengthened, and her stakes strengthened, 
the accommodations for their preachers were 
not forgotten, nor the improvement of their 
house of worship. They first demolished 
their poor old parsonage and built a more 
spacious, convenient, and respectable brick 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 129 

dwelling-house ; they then enlarged and 
much improved their house of worship ; and, 
to crown the whole, they invited the New- 
York Annual Conference to honor them with 
their regular annual session in the year 
1833, which took place on the 8th of May. 
Poughkeepsie was truly delighted with the 
conference, and the conference was truly de- 
lighted with Poughkeepsie. 

From Poughkeepsie Mr. T. was succes- 
sively sent to New-Haven and Newburg. 

From the conference of 1835 he was 
stationed in Hudson. Hudson was a place 
where Universalism, Infidelity, and intem- 
perance, and all other evils, had long borne 
so powerful a sway that true piety, of which 
there was much in the city, labored under 
great disadvantage, which, led him once 
when preaching to remark, " that souls that 
from Hudson arrived in heaven must shine 
there very brightly for having surmounted 
such disadvantages and succeeded to gain 
eternal life." Yet he had the happiness to 
know that God gave him souls in Hudson, 
and more the second year than the first. 

He found the Church-members chiefly a 
9 



130 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

poor people, and greatly burdened with a 
church-debt. The mortgages on their house 
of worship and parsonage, the interest of 
which they failed to pay, threatened a loss 
of their whole property. The late presiding 
elder of the district, aware of the danger, 
had recommended Mr. T. to be put in charge 
of a sinking ship ; and now " pump or sink " 
was the motto. The labor was not, however, 
to pump water from the hold, but to pump 
in the dollars. 

Aware of his responsibility to God and 
the Church, he seized the handle and wrought 
faithfully. He paid the debt and canceled 
the mortgages. But before he had done the 
work for which God sent him to that city, 
the Asiatic cholera seized him with the 
grasp of a giant, so that the physician on 
his first visit pronounced on him sentence of 
death ; but a man of faith and prayer came 
and kneeled by him and called upon the 
name of the Lord. Before the good brother 
had done praying God gave Mr. T. such a 
baptism of the Holy Ghost as revived up his 
torpid spirit and made him shout glory. 
Then said he to the doctor, " Well, doctor, I 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 131 

shall get along now. You have supplied a 
stimulus to my body, and the Lord lias 
quickened my soul ; I shall get along now." 
From that time he began to recover. Such 
overwhelming grace Mr. T. never experi- 
enced before. Had he then died his death 
would have been most triumphant; but his 
work was not yet done. Mr. T. will never 
forget Hudson. 

The annual conference in the year 1836 
sat in New-York, on the 22d of June, and 
from that conference he was re-appointed to 
Hudson. And at the conference of 1837, 
which was on the 17th of May, in Brooklyn, 
he was stationed in Flushing, on Long Is- 
land, where he labored two years. 

The conference of 1839 was held at Brook- 
lyn, on the loth of May, and from that Mr. 
T. was stationed in Williamsburg. Here a 
new church was in contemplation, which was 
erected in the course of the year. Some re- 
vival added a few souls to our Zion there ; 
and at the close of the year his work there 
was finished. 

From the conference of 1840, which con- 
vened June 10th, in Allen-street church, in 



132 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

New- York, he was stationed in Norwalk, in 
Connecticut, the place of his birth. Here 
he saw but little fruit of his labor ; and at 
the conference of 1841, again in Allen-street, 
May 19, he was stationed in Woodbury, per- 
taining to Hartford District. Here God 
abundantly blessed his labors, and gave him 
an addition of thirty-five souls to the small 
Church in this town. 

At the conference of 1842 he was re-ap- 
pointed to Woodbury. The Lord favored 
him with a pleasant and profitable year 
again in this town ; and as he had purchased 
a home in the pleasant village of P., he 
moved his family thither for their perma- 
nent residence. From the conference of 
1843 he was appointed to the charge of 
Milan and Pleasant Valley. At the con- 
ference in 1844 he was appointed to Dutchess 
Circuit, and also in 1845. At the conference 
of 1846 he took a superannuated relation. 

He had now entered into the 77th year of 
his age, but he did not then feel worn-out. 
But his dear wife was so advanced in years 
and in infirmity, that she seemed not able to 
bear the removals connected with an itiner- 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 133 

ant life. She was accordingly accommodated 
with a home and garden of her own, while 
he traveled three years on neighboring cir- 
cuits. 

After he ceased to travel, he had the hap- 
piness of preaching as much as was suitable 
for a man of his years. When he set out to 
travel in the year 1797, he was conscious 
that he began his itinerant life at the right 
time ; and also when he superannuated, that 
this was according to the divine will. And 
never has he enjoyed more richly the bless- 
ings of the divine favor than since he retired 
from effective service in the ministry. 

Added to his spiritual enjoyments were 
all the sweets of the domestic circle, with all 
the tender care and affectionate assiduities 
of a pious and a most exemplary wife. She 
being several years the younger was ex- 
pected to survive him ; but how were his 
expectations of future comfort in the decline 
of life all blasted when, providentially, God 
said, as to the prophet Ezekiel, " Son of man, 
behold, I take away from thee the desire of 
thine eyes with a stroke !" So sudden was 
this mournful providence that there were not 



134 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

five days between her health and her death. 
On the 19th of January, 1848, just while 
she was enjoying the blessings of a gracious 
revival of religion, in Poughkeepsie, she was 
transferred to higher joys above. 

This was to him the most bitter scene of 
sorrow that he was ever called to endure ; 
yet the Lord sustained him with divine con- 
solations, and his heart overflowed with 
gratitude to God for having lent such a 
blessing so long. The consideration that 
He is too wise to err, too good to be unkind, 
made him bow with submission to this dis- 
pensation of his heavenly Father: he gave, 
and he hath taken away, blessed be the 
name of the Lord. 

The wife of the aged pilgrim has gone 
before him to that heavenly home, where 
she will joyfully hail his arrival when it 
shall please the Lord in his own good time 
to say, "Enter thou into the joy of thy 
Lord." 






WILLIAM THEOPIIILUS. 135 



CHAPTER XII. 

PROGRESS IX LEARNING SMALL BEGINNINGS TATIENT 

EFFORTS ENCOURAGING RESULTS. 

From his early childhood William Theophi- 
lus had been a great lover of learning, but 
his opportunities for improvement had been 
very few, such as were common in country 
towns in Connecticut as far back as from 
the year 1774 to the year 1783. He had 
learned spelling, reading, writing, and arith- 
metic as far as the single rule of three : he 
could enumerate, add, subtract, multiply, and 
divide. He could write and converse with 
the usual propriety, and knew tolerably well 
how to write a letter ; but to conjugate a 
verb, decline a noun, or parse the most sim- 
ple sentence, required a higher grade of 
learning than he had obtained. He had in- 
deed paid good attention to the Bible, par- 
ticularly to the New Testament, especially 
after his conversion : and then to the Metho- 
dist Discipline and hymn-book: added to 
these he was little instructed in other writ- 
ings, religious or common ; and so little did 



136 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

he know of the grammar of his own mother 
tongue that he could not tell the names nor 
number of the different parts of speech, and 
knew not the meaning of the words noun, 
pronoun, adjective, or adverb, &c. 

With these qualifications, or rather want 
of qualifications, he began, in the year 1795, 
to preach the gospel of our salvation. Then, 
by divine grace, he could quote Scripture 
and preach Jesus Christ, and God blessed 
through him his sacred truth. 

How deeply did he regret his ignorance ! 
yet in his poverty he could not see any way 
possible by which to obtain the wished-for im- 
provements. All the spare time for reading 
and study that he could command was neces- 
sarily devoted to Fletcher's Works and some 
of Wesley's writings, and a few other books 
on divinity, as at that time the support of his 
family took up all the time of every day, 
except the Sabbath, which was mostly spent 
in praying, preaching, and going to and re- 
turning from appointments : for it must be 
remembered, that the first two years of his 
ministry he was a local preacher. 

Some time about the year 1809 he ob- 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 137 

tained information of this interesting fact, 
namely, " that a knowledge of the Hebrew 
and Greek, in which the Holy Bible was first 
written, might, by the help of suitable books 
and faithful study, be obtained, and all that 
without the help of a living teacher or the 
expense of money and time for schooling." 
He awoke at once to a sense of his duty on 
that subject, and was determined through 
divine grace that even he, poor ignorant 
William Theophilus, would try to read his 
Bible in the original tongues. 

At that time his station was in the city 
of New- York, and the heavy charge of all 
the congregations of the Methodist Episco- 
pal Church in that city was upon his hands 
aided by three colleagues. He resolved, 
notwithstanding all the labors of such a 
charge, that he would see if the Lord would 
aid him in endeavoring to learn such a long 
lesson and know his Bible better. But how 
could he find time for this important and 
interesting study ? 

A thought struck him. Three hours in 
every twenty-four, with perseverance, may 
enable me to do something in this matter 



138 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

worth trying for : but from what part of the 
twenty-four shall I take them ? From nine 
to twelve at night was the selection, when 
the least interruption was likely to happen. 
This plan succeeded happily. 

Having thus decided he bought a Greek 
Testament and E wen's Greek Grammar and 
Lexicon; the instruction being all in Eng- 
lish, he became a diligent student in the 
Greek language. So delighted was he in 
this blessed employment that he was never 
sleepy at night until the clock struck twelve. 
What progress did he make in the Greek? 
In less than one year he began the practice 
in daily family worship of using only his 
Greek Testament, and reading a chapter of 
Greek into English. This practice he long 
continued in order to become more familiar 
with the original Greek. 

As he was then about forty years of age 
a shrewd Methodist preacher said to him, 
" You are too old to learn Greek ; the sur- 
faces of your brain have become too rigid to 
admit the impressions of a new language.' 7 
He replied, "Dr. Coke learned the Portu- 
guese language after he was fifty-six years 






AVILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 139 

oftL" The knowledge of this holy Book in 
the original so unlocked the deep meaning 
of the word of inspiration to the view of Mr. 
T., and gave it such an application to his 
heart, that he felt richly rewarded by his 
heavenly Father for all his expense of books, 
fuel, light, and mental labor ; yea, " labor 
was rest, and pain was sweet," for the Lord 
was with him in his toil. 

But soon a new difficulty arose in his 
mind. Suppose he should ever have occa- 
sion to quote or read Greek in the presence 
of a good Greek scholar ; would he know 
how to pronounce Greek words ? Alas for 
him ; to what disadvantage would he ap- 
pear ! 

He then took his favorite book in his hand 
and called on a young brother, who was a 
student in college, and said, " I want to read 
to you a chapter in Greek. I don't want 
to hear you read Greek, but I want you 
to hear me, and to stop me at every word 
that I pronounce wrong, and set me right." 
He sat about two hours at the feet of this 
young Gamaliel, and thereby acquired so 
good a knowledge of the pronunciation of 



140 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

the language as never thereafter to have 
any difficulty on that account. He found 
by frequent converse with learned men some 
difference in the pronunciation of eastern and 
western colleges. 

Did not Mr. T. become weary in this sort 
of well-doing, especially on seeing the Old 
Testament ? Did not the size of the book, 
the strange letter, and the more difficult 
language of the Hebrews intimidate him? 
Truly it seemed a huge mountain before 
him ; but it was that precious book, the 
Bible, that rich treasure. On this treasure 
of divine truth he could look and say, " Who 
art thou, O great mountain ? Before Zerub- 
babel thou shalt become a plain. n 

He first borrowed a Hebrew Bible, Gram- 
mar, and Lexicon of the student who taught 
him to pronounce Greek, and soon found 
that he could make some progress in study- 
ing Hebrew; and without delay he bought 
a Hebrew Bible, and Parkhurst's Grammar 
and Lexicon, and by the same course of per- 
severance by which he obtained the knowl- 
edge of the Greek he succeeded in the study 
of the Hebrew and Chaldee of the Old Testa- 






WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 141 

ment, and soon became able to translate the 
Hebrew prose into English. Some of the 
poetry is more difficult to translate. The 
book of Job, many of the Psalms, and some 
of the old prophets, required a little more 
time and recourse to the Lexicon in perusing 
them. 

Mr. T. had observed that some men of 
liberal education had, in a few years after 
they had finished their collegiate studies, 
grown ignorant of their Latin, Greek, and 
Hebrew, by neglecting to review their for- 
mer studies, or not using such learning after 
they had obtained it. In order to avoid this 
error, as he had been in the regular practice 
of reading his Bible through in course once 
a year since the year 1800, he, in the year 
1820, established for himself the rule to 
read his Bible through in the originals once 
a year, commencing on the first of every 
January, that he might always feel himself 
at home in his Bible and familiar with the 
original Scriptures. This practice has been 
continued unto this day, 1851. 

As to the Latin language, although Mr. 
T. spent much time in acquiring a knowl- 



142 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

edge of its Grammar and in learning to 
translate some of its easier parts, yet he 
never made himself at home in the Latin, 
because he never expected to have much use 
for it. He considered his time too precious 
to work much in a field that seemed to 
promise so little advantage in his regular 
work of preaching the gospel to fallen man. 
He had no ambition to be thought a learned 
man ; his leading object was to show himself 
approved unto God and useful to men. Yet 
in the course of Divine Providence he fre- 
quently had to engage m controversy with 
liberally-educated divines, by whom ap- 
peals were made to the Hebrew and the 
Greek. On these occasions he sometimes 
found out how little some of those learned 
men knew of the sacred oracles, while his 
practical knowledge of them always gave 
him a happy advantage over his opponent. 

When good Bishop E had once been 

preaching in the city of A , on a text in 

Proverbs, a man who thought himself a critic 
in the Hebrew criticised the bishop's expo- 
sition of the text, he professing to know it 
better than the translators did. The good 






WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 143 

bishop, feeling a little mortified at such 
treatment, at a convenient opportunity said 
to Mr. T., " Take your Hebrew Bible and give 
me the translation of Proverbs xxii, 11." 
This was immediately clone to his full satis- 
faction. " Brother," said he, " how did you 
get it?" His answer was, "When others 
were in bed and asleep, at midnight. Mid- 
night has found me at my books year in and 
year out." 

So in the perusal of Clarke's Commentary. 
This heavy work, in six volumes, Mr. T. has 
twice carefully read through, re-marking all 
his quotations from the originals. By this 
experiment he was thoroughly satisfied as to 
the correctness of his knowledge of the 
original Scriptures. 

In the early years of his ministry little 
did he think of studying a modern language, 
however fond he was of books. His great 
object was to save souls. Yet a trifling in- 
cident may sometimes be turned to good 
account. 

About the year 1838 or 1839, when he was 
nearly threescore and ten, his attention was 
awakened to the subject of studying French. 



144 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

He bought several French books, and by 
diligent efforts proved that, even at such an 
advanced age, he was not too old to learn. 
The French Bible he has since read twice 
carefully through, understanding it about 
as well as if he had read it in English. So 
of Wesley's Sermons, Fenelon's Telemachus, 
and some other works in the same language. 
It is true, he does not attempt to converse 
much in French, because he has had no op- 
portunity of association with French people ; 
yet to understand and to be able to trans- 
late the language into English is an advan- 
tage that is a rich reward for all the expense 
of books, time, and labor, which it has cost 
him. 

Had such study been any impediment to 
his enjoyment in religion, or hinderanceof his 
pastoral duties, he would have denied him- 
self the pleasure of such an encroachment 
on his time : but no ; his motives were pure, 
and the blessings of the Lord were with him 
as usual. 

It is true that old age disables our animal 
frame, and the mind must, more or less, 
share in this debility. Notwithstanding all 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 145 

this disadvantage, where benevolent industry 
has been the ruling passion of past life, and 
the riches of divine grace have led on the 
mind in the path of duty, the pleasure of 
learning gives such an earnest of future 
immortality, and a glorious progress in 
knowledge in the world to come, that we 
may well say that " Eye hath not seen, nor 
ear heard, neither have" entered into the 
heart of man, the things which God hath 
prepared for them that love him." 
10 



146 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS — EARLY IMPRESSIONS — FINAL 
HOPES. 

Impressions in childhood on the subject of 
the ministry, whether common or not, may 
be from God; for we have the example in 
young Samuel, in the Prophet Jeremiah, 
and something like it in what St. Paul 
wrote Timothy. Whether this was the case 
with Mr. T. or not, — whether his early 
thoughts of becoming a minister of the 
gospel were prophetic of his future life, — is 
a question not so easily solved : yet when 
we compare the child with the man, the 
purpose with what followed, this agreement 
of the one with the other, we may say that 
such is the appearance, and that such was 
the order of God. If numerous perils of 
life, and preservation in danger by special 
providences, indicate one to be a "chosen 
vessel " for the work of the ministry, surely 
his ten escapes from the open jaws of death, 
while they call for the deepest gratitude to 
his divine Keeper, prove the truth of the 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 147 

maxim, that "man is immortal till his work 
is done;" and that God had chosen him 
to be a minister. And when he knew that 
God had called him to this holy work, 
might he not choose an easy way to per- 
form it? Why not accept a call with a 
comfortable home, and a competent salary, 
as so many good and useful ministers have 
done — ministers too whose labors have been 
much blessed of the Lord? Why choose an 
itinerant life? This climbing mountains, 
traversing valleys, crossing dangerous wa- 
ters, encountering storms and tempests, 
plunging in overwhelming snows, thus to 
the hazard of life, and that for many years 
together, is no small matter : does not your 
duty to your God, to your life, to the 
Church, and to your family, render such a 
course * questionable ? Before he can an- 
swer satisfactorily such questions, he opens 
on the minister's charter, and there reads 
his commission, " Go ye into all the world," 
&c., and seizes by faith the promise, "Lo 
I am with you." 

The Christian denomination called " Me- 
thodists," as far back as 1790, when Mr. 



148 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

T. first became acquainted with them, was 
not high in honor among the mass of man- 
kind, for their worth was not much known. 
Of course some reproach fell on such as 
became Methodists in that day. Had they 
then been better known they would have 
been more esteemed. Their preachers were 
but few, but God was with them, and 
prospered them : they increased in numbers 
and wisdom more than tenfold ; their min- 
istry have multiplied, and they have become 
like a city on a hill, and are spread abroad 
through all our land. They continue to 
spread their light wherever they go ; they 
have outlived their reproach; they are a 
living epistle, known and read of all men, 
and they are honored by all that know 
them. Such is Methodism, and such are 
Methodist preachers. Mr. T. in his old 
age rejoices, that by divine grace he has 
had the honor of being one among them. 
One of their characteristics ever was, that 
they sought not the honor that cometh 
from men, but that which cometh from 
God only ; and God has crowned them with 
all the honor that is needful for their use- 



WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 149 

fulness among men, as well as for their 
own welfare. Let them as a Church only 
retain their purity of life and doctrine, and 
" the Lord will make his people a hun- 
dred times so many more as they be." 

Through the infinite mercy of our hea- 
venly Father, Mr. T. has lived to see the 
spreading glory of the Church of his choice ; 
he rejoices therein with exceeding joy ; and 
is looking around, like old Moses from 
Pisgah's top. He sees not merely the land 
that is to be fought for, but the triumphs 
of past battles, the fruitful fields already 
gained, pouring forth the gushing streams 
of sanctified knowledge, and, like the smit- 
ten rock in Horeb, flowing wheresoever the 
camp of our Israel extends. Nor has the 
pillar of cloud and fire been removed from 
our itinerating camp, which still enjoys the 
Shekinah, or the splendor of divine glory. 

Encouraged by the prophetic declarations 
of the living 1 oracles which he has so re- 
peatedly read, and from the changes which 
he has seen, while he has observed the pro- 
gress of the work of God, in the prosperity 
of Zion, Mr. T. looks forward to see the 



150 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

Church " lengthen her cords and strength- 
en her stakes;" "the north give up, and 
the south keep not back;" " her sons come 
from far, and her daughters from the ends 
of the earth," — from India, from China, 
from Africa, from South America, from Cal- 
ifornia, from Oregon, and from the multi- 
tude of the isles found in every ocean ; yea, 
" All the ends of the earth shall see 
the salvation of god." 

When his name was first enrolled in the 
traveling Methodist ministry, the whole 
number were like Gideon's three hundred 
men, with their pitchers and lamps, who 
had before been tested at the water, and 
were not of those that bowed down on their 
knees to drink, but of those that lapped, 
putting their hand to their mouth — intimat- 
ing their readiness to u live from hand to 
mouth," " trusting in the Lord with all 
their heart." A Methodist preacher in his 
carriage was not to be seen in those days. 
Each itinerant preacher would mount his 
steed, and pass round his circuit, carrying 
his portmanteau well stowed with books. 
Such were our fathers, — such was Bishop 



WILLIAM THEOPHILi 151 

Asbury, who used to say to us that his sad- 
dle mare Jane was his " coach and six." 
But finally his consumptive complaint so 
reduced him, that his brethren would insist 
on his having a wagon and preacher to 
travel with him. But what hath God 
wrought for our traveling ministry since 
those days? Now our ministry numbers 
its thousands, and is still increasing ! 
" Thou shalt surely clothe thee with them 
all as with an ornament, and bind them on 
thee as a bride doeth." 

Mr. TVs earthly career, so near its end, 
forbids his hope of much more observation 
below of Zion's prosperity ; yet his heart is 
as warmly as ever interested in her welfare : 
having led a traveler's life, he is now like 
a wayfaring man, waiting at an inn for the 
call of the stage that will convey him home. 

" So look'd Elisha, when to mount on high 
His master took the chariot of the sky : 
The fiery pomp ascending left the view — 
The prophet gazed and wish'd to follow too." 

Dk. Paexal. 

Thus, dear reader, you have a sketch of 
some of the scenes through which divine 



152 WILLIAM THEOPHILUS. 

goodness has led a Christian pilgrim during 
a period of fourscore years to the verge 
of his probationary days. Here he now 
stands awaiting the summons, when it shall 
please his heavenly Father to give him some 
humble lot with those who have fought the 
good fight, have finished their course, and 
have already received the crown of glory. 
And when, by the infinite mercy of God, he, 
as he hopes, shall enter the heavenly man- 
sion, he hopes to be one of those who will 
welcome thither those who shall follow on, 
to help to complete the full glory of the 
Church triumphant in heaven. Amen. 



THE END. 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: May 2006 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 

1 1 1 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township, PA 16066 
f724) 779-2111 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 






', 



... .. ■ 



imffl 



r 



mm 



\mBmmM 



